Gov. Linda Lingle will return to Hawaii today to find that the heat has been turned up on the state's simmering labor problems.

The four county mayors issued an announcement yesterday that they have reached an “;agreement in principle”; with the United Public Workers union.

Late last night, Lingle said: “;We are glad to see the mayors have decided to agree to our proposal and that the UPW is now on board.”;

The governor's approval is required for any contract covering about 8,800 blue-collar state and county workers, but the state has not been at the bargaining table.

On another front, the Hawaii State Teachers Association filed a complaint with the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, claiming that the state administration has failed to bargain in good faith to put an end to teacher furlough days.

The HSTA board reached a tentative agreement Dec. 28 with the Department of Education and Board of Education on a scheme to restore 10 remaining furlough days this year with $35 million from the state's rainy day fund. The pact did not restore 17 furlough days set for the next school year.

It was another case of an agreement reached without the state administration at the table.

In November, Lingle had proposed using $50 million from the rainy day fund to restore all remaining 27 furlough days this year and next.

The plan required teachers to forfeit planning days and turn them into classroom days, an idea rejected by the union representing 13,000 teachers and librarians.

“;The governor has failed to bargain in good faith, ignoring proposals from the other parties and refusing to come to the table to discuss them or present her own ideas to the other parties,”; the HSTA said in the “;prohibited practices”; filing with the labor board.

“;The governor has never shown the slightest willingness to move off of her position,”; said HSTA President Wil Okabe in a written statement.

The complaint asks the HLRB to issue a “;cease and desist”; order against Lingle and Marie Laderta, head of the state Office of Collective Bargaining, and to order them to “;make whole relief and remedies to affected state employees and HSTA.”;

The Hawaii Council of Mayors announcement did not give details of the proposed two-year pact covering UPW members in Unit 1.

But the announcement hints at cutbacks, saying the union “;recognized the need for shared sacrifices during a very difficult economic period.”;

Nearly half of the people covered by the contract are state workers, including 2,300 DOE employees in maintenance and other service jobs.

There are also 530 employees at University of Hawaii campuses, 75 with the state Judiciary and 2,001 with other state departments, according to figures provided by the mayors.

The UPW pact would cover 1,866 Honolulu county workers, 548 on the Big Island, 560 in Maui County and 356 on Kauai. Besides state approval, it would need to be ratified by union members.

The Unit 1 agreement comes a month after a state arbitration panel settled an agreement that provides pay cuts and furlough days for 2,800 UPW members in Unit 10 covering prison guards, health workers and first responders.

UPW State Director Dayton Nakanelua could not be reached for comment.