UHPA Seeks to Allow Legislature to Appropriate Salary Funds during a Special Legislative Session

News Release from UHPA, August 21, 2017

UHPA filed a request that the Hawaii Labor Relations Board rule on whether the Legislature may appropriate funds for a collective bargaining agreement during a Special Legislative Session. Over the course of this month, it became clear that there were issues being raised by the Governor’s office and the Speaker of the House that the collective bargaining law, Chapter 89, might not allow an appropriation be made during a Special Legislative Session. To be clear neither the Governor’s Chief of Staff nor Speaker Saiki would reveal their specific concerns to UHPA Executive Director Hanselman. UHPA was informed that the Attorney General was being asked to comment on some technical issues. President Lassner was also not informed of these matters by the Governor’s office.

This lack of candor is antithetical to the practice of good faith negotiations.

UHPA believes that there is no prohibition to the funding of a collective bargaining agreement during a Special Legislative Session. UHPA seeks to have this issue resolved should a Special Session be conveyed this year. There are no decisions previously issued on this matter.

UHPA wants faculty members to receive their salary increases as quickly as possible. Delaying an appropriations until 2018 has a negative impact on the pocketbooks of faculty and retroactive lump payments can have tax consequences.

You will be informed of the outcome of this request for a ruling from the Hawaii Labor Relations Board. Time is critical with a Special Legislative Session tentatively scheduled to begin next week.

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SB 3 Relating to Public Employment

From UHPA, August 25, 2017

The Committee on Labor and The Committee on Ways and Means

Monday, August 28, 2017 11:00 a.m.

Conference Rm. 211

RE: SB 3 Relating to Public Employment

Attention: Chairs Jill Tokuda and Donovan Dela Cruz, Vice Chairs J. Kalani English and Keith-Agaran and Members of the Committees

The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA) appreciates the consideration the legislature has extended to faculty members during this special session.  We respectfully request the Committee support passage of SB  3 which is a measure to appropriate funds for fiscal biennium 2017-2019 for salary costs for public employees in collective bargaining unit (7) and for certain employees excluded from collective bargaining.

UHPA requests the committee support SB 3.

Sincerely,

Kristeen Hanselman

Executive Director

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UHPA wants its raises to be funded next week

SA: Leaders of the University of Hawaii faculty union want state lawmakers next week to approve funding to pay the raises the union won during negotiations this year but say Gov. David Ige’s administration hasn’t agreed to that plan.

A news release issued by the faculty union Tuesday alleged that the governor’s office “threw in a last-minute, post-agreement monkey wrench to delay the faculty’s agreed upon wage increases.”

The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, which represents nearly 3,700 faculty members, finalized a new contract with the state Aug. 3….

read ….  UHPA 

SB3: Text, Status