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The state Legislature is now singing the same song as Gov. Ben Cayetano on public employee pay raises. Lawmakers back down
from HGEA raiseBy Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin"The money is tight," Senate President Robert Bunda said yesterday. "I hope there's no expectations that ... we have room for all of the raises."
As a result, legislative leaders are apparently backing down on their position to approve an arbitrated pay increase of nearly 15 percent awarded to the state's largest public workers union, the Hawaii Government Employees Association.
The leadership in both houses previously said they would approve the arbitration award.
But with contracts for five public employee unions yet to be funded, lawmakers are now taking a different view.
"I think we understand now that there are not enough revenues to handle that," Bunda said.
HGEA Deputy Executive Director Randy Perreira said the Legislature is taking that position based on information provided by the governor. The union believes the state can afford the raise.
"Our intention is to clear up the misrepresentation of facts about our award," Perreira said. "From our standpoint, too much has been said that isn't true.
Perreira said the governor has proposed a budget with "ideas that eat up money" but doesn't have pay raises factored in.
After several meetings with Gov. Ben Cayetano, state lawmakers said they would allow the governor to complete negotiations with the unions.
House Speaker Calvin Say said the House will wait until all union contracts -- HGEA, Hawaii State Teachers Association and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly -- have been settled before passing out its budget.
"I now feel that the Legislature is beginning to understand the ramifications or the impact of these pay raises on the budget and on the services that the government is supposed to provide," Cayetano said.
"We'd like to know exactly how much to appropriate, otherwise most of these programs or projects that we would like to see on board is going to be cut," the Senate president said.
The state and counties have already settled with the UPW, giving blue-collar workers an 11 percent pay raise.
The Hawaii Fire Fighters Association also won an arbitrated 14.5 percent pay raise.
The state is at an impasse in talks with the public teachers union and the UH faculty union. UHPA said it could strike as early as April 2 if no contract is reached.
Perreira said the HGEA entered into arbitration with the state after negotiations failed to produced a settlement. The arbitrated award to the union is final and binding, he argued.
"We're not negotiating with the governor," Perreira said. "We have an arbitrated award. ... We would expect the governor to live up to the letter of the law."
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