Blue collar government workers vote whether to authorize strike
HONOLULU- Blue collar workers represented by the United Public Workers union appear ready to play hardball in their contract negotiations with the state and the four counties.
A strike authorization vote for UPW’s Unit 1 members began Wednesday and continues Friday on Oahu. The union is scheduled to take the vote to the neighbor islands next week.
About 8,500 workers are seeking a new two year contract with the state and the counties of Honolulu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, also known as the employers’ group.
On Oahu the strike authorization vote is taking place in offices inside Aloha Stadium in Halawa. Many of the UPW members who showed up Thursday said they cast votes in favor of a possible strike.
“I voted yes to give them authority to strike if needed,” said Jon McKee, a mechanic with the state DOT’s Harbors Division. “You know we've suffered enough already.”
“I know a lot of people are agreeing to do the strike,” added Matt Kaai, a groundskeeper with the City and County of Honolulu.
According to a UPW source who asked to remain anonymous, the employers’ group is demanding an across-the-board pay cut of 5 percent as the state and the counties attempt to recover from the economic downturn. However the union is standing firm, saying it wants furloughs and only furloughs to equal the labor savings that are needed.
Walton Marumoto, a mechanic for the City and County of Honolulu, told Khon2 he would accept a 5 percent reduction in pay if it came through furloughs.
“I'd rather have the furloughs,” he said, “but not a pay cut.”
In April the Hawaii Government Employees Association agreed to a pay cut of 5 percent that was offset by an additional nine days of paid leave every year. HGEA’s Unit 9, registered professional nurses, rejected the offer that included a 50-50 split on health insurance premiums.
Then on July 1 Gov. Neil Abercrombie imposed the state’s last, best and final offer on Hawaii’s 13,000 public school teachers after claiming the Hawaii State Teachers Association negotiated in bad faith. The deal instituted furloughs and pay cuts equaling 5 percent as well as the 50-50 split on health insurance. The HSTA is hoping the Hawaii Labor Relations Board will vacate the contract during hearings next month and allow both sides to return to the bargaining table.
If UPW's blue collar workers were to strike, it would have wide ranging impacts on the state and the four counties. Unit 1 members include custodial workers who provide services to public buildings, schools and airports. Also included are county refuse collectors. That means during any UPW job action much of the garbage generated by Hawaii’s 1.3 million residents would not be picked up.
CAUGHT OFF GUARDTo date, the state and the four counties have held two rounds of negotiations with the UPW's Executive Negotiating Committee. Both meetings were handled by the Office of Collective Bargaining, which assists the governor in contract talks with public worker unions. The first meeting occurred in May according to Donalyn Dela Cruz, Gov. Abercrombie’s spokesperson. The most recent negotiating session was held last week.
Despite the recent talks the governor was unaware UPW was in the midst of a statewide strike authorization vote when asked about it on Thursday.
"I don't choose to concentrate on the negative and I don't threaten anybody so I can't comment on that kind of thing,” said the governor. “That doesn't sound like a very good negotiating point, but I'm not aware of anything like you just mentioned.”
UPW’s Unit 10 members, made-up of roughly 3,000 state corrections officers and county paramedics, are not allowed to strike and are not taking part in the union’s authorization vote. If Unit 1 members were to walk off their jobs the union would be required to provide the state and the counties ten days notice.
Other union contracts yet to be settled include police officers and fire fighters, which negotiate with the state’s four counties as a group. Both contracts expired June 30. Log on to register and leave a comment.Have a news tip? Contact Andrew Pereira at 368-7273. Follow Andrew on Twitter at Khon_Reporter
