Labor

... Major reforms could help the pension system honor its promises ....

...another 4,267,395 people filed initial unemployment benefit claims during the week ending April 18, the second week of a decline in the rate of new claims, but still among the highest levels in U.S. history....

...Hawaii -- 3009.22% -- Increase in Unemployment Claims (April vs Start of COVID-19 Crisis)....

...we have still not received a response to the question posed as to whether employees who are redeployed are still eligible to benefit entitlements provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act....

...After unions notified their members of the salary reduction idea Tuesday night, state officials informed union leaders the implementation date of the salary cuts has been delayed by at least one month, to June 1 instead of May 1.... 

"...We want to reassure you that the Governor has no legal authority, right, or privilege to unilaterally negate or disregard our current Unit 7 contract...."

...Hawaii pension plan only 55% funded ranks 43rd among states....

...Representative Case says money from the CARES Act should be used for covering revenue losses....

... Department of Labor and Industrial Relations seem to have dropped the ball ....

...Safe Hotels, Safe Hawaii Operational Guidelines for Safe Hotel Operations in Pandemic Conditions....

...The emergency proclamation suspends several laws, including chapters 89 and 89C, HRS, relating to collective bargaining....

...Hawaii Unemployment Comp funds will run out in 21 weeks....

...8.9% of Hawaii's workforce was receiving or filing for unemployment as of March 28, 2020....

...unemployment claim increases for the week of March 23....

...with the coronavirus recession underway, raising the minimum wage is a bad idea....

...HSTA revels in accountability-free utopia.  Hawaii college applicants will not be so lucky....

...Hawaii joins 39 states that have decided to close schools....

...Testimony on proposed minimum-wage increase....

...The Most Dangerous States to Work In....

...If government benefits were available, Nathan Lum made sure that he was going to receive some of them....

...An expert on Seattle's experience will address 2 Hawaii events....

...HB 2541 HD1 would make the state earned income tax credit refundable and permanent, and increase the refundable food/excise tax credit. In addition, the bill would increase the minimum wage....

...Hawaii reported an integrated employment rate of 2 percent, the lowest rate in the nation....

...The study was done by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA), which (previously demonstrated its reliability by conducting) a salary study in 2014 for HIDOE and the Hawaii State Teachers Association....

...Nathan Lum was the former division director of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, Longshore Division (ILWU)....

...While people have focused on the city’s $2.6 billion pension debt, its debt related to retiree health care benefits is almost as high at $2.2 billion....

...Measures tackle housing, childcare, wage issues highlighted in ALICE report....

...Hawaii has the highest union membership rate at 23.5 percent....

"...legislative package of bills to reduce income inequality...."

...HSTA got $45M in a contract reopener April 1, 2019.  On December 5, 2019 HSTA and DoE announced a massive pay hike for teachers working in so-called 'hard to fill' positions.  Now in a January 10, 2020, anouncement, the HSTA and Kishimoto are proposing to bump thousands of union members up five steps....

...the reasons for an ever-increasing “living wage” have been a second tier topic of discussion....

...Hawaii women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $797, or 82.6 percent of the $965 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts....

...Well-designed UI tax systems emphasize greater stability and predictability....

...The Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) today announced the settlement of a complaint alleging employment discrimination by the Honolulu Police Department (“HPD”) on the basis of credit history and credit report.... 

...Just 7 months after HSTA's last contract reopener....

...Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants today voted 99.9 percent to authorize a strike, with 95.1 percent participating....

...In the period between now and when Bill 37 becomes effective, the mayor will work with interested parties to rectify the issues concerning this bill....

...teachers union says state should ban flavored vape products....

... What happens when a government tries to fix a system that isn’t broken? ....

...Bill 37 amounts to a sweetheart deal for big union labor and will guarantee that the county will have to spend more on future infrastructure projects....

...a proposed policy in Honolulu may prevent nonunion employers from bidding on government projects....

...After a public hearing, the Council approved the bill, 7-2, It now goes to the mayor....

...“A recent enhancement that allowed new applications to be submitted online has cut Guard Employee (GDE) processing time from 15 days to two!”....

...and teachers salaries are the lowest in USA when adjusted for cost of living....

...Hawaii's OPEB plans are only 12.7 percent funded. Hawaii, like many others, treats OPEB on a pay-as-you-go basis, whereby benefits are paid when retirees receive the health care. This leaves future taxpayers stuck paying for OPEB benefits earned by current employees....

...Sham Public Meetings Begin Next Round of HSTA Pay Hike Deals....

...The Small Business Caucus is hosting the first-ever panel of speakers at the Hawaii State Capitol to discuss the future of A.I. in Hawaii's economy....

...The relatively high median compensation level is probably related to Matson’s high degree of unionization....

...to Secure REAL ID Act-Compliant Identification for FAS Citizens....

...A supplemental agreement pilot project that provides a wage differential for City & County of Honolulu employees to make $15 an hour....