CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Merton Chang picketed with members of the Laborers' Union, Local 368, yesterday outside a meeting of the Hawaii-Employer Union Benefits Trust Fund at the State Office Tower. The union is upset over proposed language changes to a law that could affect health insurance eligibility for part-time or temporary state workers.

Union pickets
trust fund

The Laborers’ Union, seeking to represent
substitute teachers, objects to changes

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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com

About two dozen members of the Laborers' International Union Local 368, which seeks to represent the state's 5,200 substitute teachers, picketed a meeting of the Hawaii-Employer Union Benefits Trust Fund yesterday at the state office tower on S. Beretania Street.

The union is upset over proposed language changes to a law that could have broadened health insurance eligibility for part-time or temporary state workers.

The trust fund is charged with implementing a new health plan for state employees, which becomes effective July 1 and would combine 90,000 active and retired state employees into a single health system.

The 10-member board overseeing the new fund is made up of five representatives each from management and unions. Yesterday, the union trustees refused to cross the picket line to attend the meeting.

Members of the board's administrative committee have been discussing legislation passed two years ago that could mean part-time, casual or seasonal state employees working less than half-time and employed for less than three months would be eligible for health insurance coverage, said Mark Fukuhara, the trust fund's chief executive officer. Based on approval of the language change, the full board would have voted on the matter Nov. 5, he said.

"If we don't change this language, far more people will be eligible than currently," Fukuhara said. "But if we change it, we'll maintain status quo."

About 25 to 30 people in support of the substitute teachers picketed the meeting. But the short notice of yesterday's trust fund meeting prevented many substitute teachers from attending, said Local 368 union organizer Jimmy Kuroiwa.

"We weren't aware until last Thursday that something like this existed and that they (the board) would take up the issue," Kuroiwa said. "We want to get the benefits that the governor and the Legislature approved for the substitute teachers."

But Fukuhara said it was clear from research done by the trust fund's administrative committee that legislators never intended to broaden eligibility for health benefits.

"In the committee reports (of the Legislature) it was very clear," he said.

If picketing continues, implementation of the new health benefit plan by July 1 could be delayed or even prevented, Fukuhara said.

Kuroiwa said his group intends to go on picketing the trust fund meetings, continuing today.

He also believes the Laborers' union will gain approval to represent substitute teachers sooner than he first anticipated.

"Originally we were looking at a six-month plan but it could be as early as January," he said.

Even before yesterday, trustees had been having difficulties reaching agreement on a variety of issues related to the new health program.

Less than two months ago, two of the trustees who represented union interests, United Public Workers representative Clifford Uwaine and James Williams, who was nominated by the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, resigned.