by Andrew Walden

An internal HGEA memo sent to the membership earlier this week ties the HGEA’s tentative settlement to the Legislative agenda and promises that HGEA will enjoy “equity with other unions” who will likely settle their contracts after the Legislative session is over.  

Signed by the members of the HGEA negotiating team, the memo lays out the plain political calculations:

 Three factors weighed heavily in our decision to accept the tentative settlement. First, given the serious budget deficit facing the legislature, leaving the contract unsettled gives greater latitude for additional program cuts. Second, we cannot expect a better outcome in arbitration given the poor economic condition of the state and other jurisdictions. Third, the “favored nation” clause provides assurance that there will be equity with other unions currently negotiating with the employer.

In other words, if the HGEA appears reasonable now, the Legislature is less likely to cut programs employing HGEA members – leaving tax increases as the more likely budget solution.

But the HGEA won’t have to suffer for long.  Once the Legislature adjourns, the HSTA or UPW negotiations can wipe away the 5% pay cut, or win a full eight hours of paid monthly leave time to precisely match the 5% pay cut. 

This would be the same as a furlough day and the HGEA makes no bones about Abercrombie’s calculations designed to deceive the public about his continuing furlough policy:

The employer’s position was inflexible on increasing the four (4) hours leave time to eight (8) hours per month. The Governor viewed the granting of one day off to be the equivalent of a furlough day which he is on record as opposing. Despite repeated assurances that a day off was not the same as a furlough day because operations would not be shut down, the employer refused to increase the 4 hours time off to one day per month….

After further negotiations, the employer increased their offer of 4 hours leave to 6 hours leave per month, or 9 days of leave per year. At that point, all negotiating teams voted to bring the offer to the members.

It is clear from this memo that the union members preferred Lingle’s furlough days with no pay cut to Abercrombie’s pay cut with half a furlough day per month.   They fought hard over how much “administrative leave” – furlough—time would be given per month.  In the end, they settled for 3/4 of a furlough day per month knowing that this would influence the Legislature at a critical moment and also knowing that the issue will be revisited if the UPW or HSTA gets a better deal—after the legislature adjourns. 

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RELATED:

• Abercrombie’s $100M omission: HGEA settlement tied to other secret labor agreements
• HGEA: Contract Agreement includes Paid Time Off
• State Reaches Agreement with HGEA--Mayors Kept in Dark
• How They Voted: Senate Ways and Means votes to hike GE Tax by eliminating exemptions

Here is the HGEA memo in full:

Letter from your negotiating team; summary of tentative agreement; ratification meeting schedule

A summary of the tentative agreement and ratification meeting schedules are available online. Please login to the Contract Negotiations 2011-2013 page on the HGEA website to download these documents. (These documents are also being distributed at the worksites.)

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Dear HGEA Bargaining Unit Member:

Please review a summary of the tentative agreement, which you have the opportunity to vote on, as well as a list of the ratification meeting sites where you can vote in favor or against the contract settlement. (Click here to view the summary and the ratification meeting schedules.)

UNIT 2 NEGOTIATING TEAM:

Suanne Miyata, Chair