Hawaii Public Employees May Lose Out On Pay Raises Due To Virus
When the Legislature recessed indefinitely, pay increases for workers was among its unfinished business.
Thousands of Hawaii鈥檚 public workers could miss out on pay raises after the Legislature was suspended indefinitely last week.
Several measures that appropriated funds to cover those raises are still pending in the Legislature, which adjourned indefinitely last week in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.
An estimated 28,300 public employees, all represented by the , won鈥檛 be getting pay bumps or retroactive pay increases if those bills don鈥檛 move. University of Hawaii faculty also won鈥檛 receive a small salary increase covered under their contract.
After the Legislature voted to suspend the 2020 session March 16, House Speaker Scott Saiki said lawmakers would only reconvene in the event of an emergency. But when Sen. Clarence Nishihara tested positive for COVID-19 March 19, lawmakers shuttered their offices indefinitely.
An HGEA spokesman did not respond to multiple calls on Tuesday for comment on what the union鈥檚 plans are moving forward. HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira also did not respond to a message Wednesday.
Those units up for raises include various administrative, professional and technical employees at University of Hawaii, registered nurses, scientific employees, and state law enforcement officers and lifeguards.
Bargaining Units 2, 3, 8 and 9 all ratified their agreements between September and January, according to from the state Department of Budget and Finance. Bargaining Unit 4 ratified its agreement March 3.聽
Lawmakers already budgeted more than $46.1 million for this fiscal year to cover retroactive pay increases for those units of employees that didn鈥檛 see raises because their contracts had to go through an arbitration process — which means they missed out on money from the Legislature last year.
There was also $63.9 million budgeted for next fiscal year, which begins July 1, to cover future salary increases.
Bargaining Unit 14, which includes lifeguards and state law enforcement, completed arbitration but there was no decision yet on dollar figures so they were not included in estimates provided by Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz.
Even after the Council on Revenues lowered the projection for state tax collections by $300 million earlier this month, the Legislature was still expected to fund the new agreements.
But that can鈥檛 happen as long as the Legislature is in limbo. Funding for increases requires legislative approval, according to the on collective bargaining.
House Bills , , , , , , and would fund the salary increases for units under HGEA. All but HB 2304 could have been voted on as early as March 18.
In a posted on the union鈥檚 website, HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira says the union plans to work with the state to address any shortage of personal protective equipment and is in the process of filing for hazard pay.
Perreira didn’t address the salary increases in the message. He said he is still working to address union members鈥 concerns.
鈥淧lease know we鈥檙e are doing everything we can on your behalf,鈥 he said.
There鈥檚 still money in the state鈥檚 budget to pay the base salary for all public employees since lawmakers approved the biennium budget last year.
UH Faculty Also Waiting
While UH faculty can still expect a 2% pay increase to go into effect July 1, their union was in the midst of negotiating a salary enhancement when the Legislature ended abruptly, according to Christian Fern, executive director of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly.
The pay bump would be in addition to the 2% increase and is supposed to be in line with what the other bargaining units get. UHPA鈥檚 contracts are renewed every four years; they can, however, negotiate for the salary enhancement every two years.
Contact Key Lawmakers
Senate President Ron Kouchi
senkouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov
808-586-6030
House Speaker Scott Saiki
repsaiki@capitol.hawaii.gov
808-586-6100
鈥There is no immediate impact since decisions have not yet been made with the Legislature in recess,鈥 Fern said.
UH faculty could get an extra 1.2% bump in pay, but it鈥檚 not clear how much money is needed to cover the increase since the union was still in negotiations when the Legislature recessed.
, the funding measure for UHPA, could have been voted on as early as March 18.
Separately, the Department of Health also asked that $15.7 million be included for next fiscal year鈥檚 budget to cover salary adjustments for emergency medical services personnel.
, the funding measure for that increase, was scheduled for a committee hearing March 17.
