[ OUR OPINION ]
CHEERED by legislative approval to allow them a collective bargaining unit, public school substitute teachers will have many hurdles to clear before establishing a union to represent them and gaining a contract. Their classification from casual to standard employees may be a boon for some and a bane for others if the Department of Education alters rules that govern their jobs, as can be expected. Substitute teachers
may face more than
they bargained for
THE ISSUE The part-time public school teachers win approval to organize a union.
The state House and Senate have sent to Governor Lingle a measure to expand the number of public workers' union groups to include a slot for teachers who work sporadically, filling in when full-time teachers are absent. The administration and the school superintendent oppose the bill, primarily because union demands would likely drive up public education costs at a time when state officials are struggling to make budget ends meet. Substitutes contend they need a union to gain equal treatment and to negotiate wages, although at $120 a day they are paid almost twice the national average for stand-in educators.
Last month, substitute teachers protested when the department notified about 1,450 of them that they won't be allowed employment because they do not have adequate educational qualifications. Although the No Child Left Behind Act leaves undefined what degrees are required for a substitute teacher, state education officials are cautiously following federal recommendations that they have the same credentials as regular teachers.
The work cut-off may spur organizing efforts, which will entail 30 percent of the 5,000 substitute teachers signing union authorization cards before petitioning the state to hold election to choose a union. The union can then begin talks with the state to negotiate a contract.
Substitutes teachers, who are not eligible for health insurance or retirement plans, should expect that a contract, while yielding some benefits, will likely include more stringent standards for employment. For example, at present, substitutes, some of whom have other jobs, may decline work if they so choose. That may change along with job qualifications.
Substitute teachers should be permitted to organize and negotiate for a contract they believe will bring them the regard and security they seek. They must also acknowledge that are numerous and formidable obstacles ahead.
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ELECTED officials and other policymakers are often faulted for doing too little, too late. The proposal to add another 12 members to the nine now on the City Council, however, would be better described as too much, too soon. It’s not the right time
to expand Council
THE ISSUE The plan would increase the number of members to 21 from the current nine.
The plan, submitted by East Honolulu Councilman Charles Djou, would more than double the present number to 21 members and put the matter before voters next year.
Djou contends that more are needed because districts are too large, making it difficult for members to become knowledgeable about the areas they represent. "You're supposed to have City Council members who know where every single stoplight and every single stop sign is in their district," he complained, adding "there's no way we can." Djou exaggerates; few residents would demand that their representative know such specifics. But they do expect that a Council member be familiar with their problems and concerns and elected officials learn those by talking to their constituents, not by noting stop signs on a map.
The city's network of Neighborhood Boards and the mayor's web of Vision Teams provide many opportunities for Council members to stay in touch with voters and nothing prevents them from setting up their own community meetings to hear what the public has to say.
Most of the districts are compact and can be covered in a half-day of driving. During last year's campaign, many members said they walked through at least part of their districts, while most have lived in their areas so long that know them well. If size matters, District 2 Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz should be disturbed. His district encompasses almost a third of Oahu's 597 square miles, running from Central Oahu, the North Shore from Mokuleia to Kahuku and south along the Windward Coast to Heeia.
At any rate, population, not geography, is the basis for the district assignments and the next time they will change is in 2011. While it is reasonable for the Council to discuss the matter now, 2004 may be too early for voters to decide on a number. A lot can change in seven years.
A 21-member Council may become too unwieldy for legislative purposes. In addition, increasing the number will undoubtedly increase costs -- now pegged at $250,000 per member -- and voters aren't inclined to spend more when city revenues are short for basic services.
