By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
The state’s lead negotiator made a new contract proposal to the University of Hawai‘i faculty union yesterday, but a union spokesman said the offer is unacceptable and makes a strike more likely.
For the first time in the negotiations, Gov. Ben Cayetano’s administration is offering the faculty across-the-board raises of 6 or 7 percent along with an opportunity to earn merit raises.
But the administration also proposed faculty members be paid their entire salaries over nine months, which amounts to a "poison pill" that wipes out much of the gain from the proposed raises, said J.N. Musto, executive director of the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly.
The nine-month pay plan means the faculty would pay the entire cost of health benefits in the summer months and lose credit toward retirement each summer, Musto said.
The proposal for across-the-board raises in addition to merit pay is a change from Gov. Ben Cayetano’s previous position of offering only merit raises.
"What we’re trying to do is settle this contract," state chief negotiator Davis Yogi said. "We’re moving forward in trying to reach a settlement."
Under the proposal, merit raises would be determined by the chancellors of each campus rather than the UH president.
Yogi said community college faculty members would receive merit pay for "teaching excellence." Merit pay for faculty at Manoa, Hilo and West O‘ahu would be given for teaching excellence or research, he said.
"I think the concern was that only the grant winners would get the merit (pay), and we wanted to allay the fears of the faculty that research and teaching would have an equal share of the merit program," he said.
Faculty at the community colleges would be granted a 7 percent raise over the life of the two-year contract, with an opportunity for 2 percent more in merit pay.
At the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Hilo and West O‘ahu, faculty were offered raises of up to 6 percent over two years, and would be eligible for 3 percent more in merit pay.
The 3,125-member faculty union wants a 14.9 percent increase over four years, which would include some across-the-board raises and the establishment of special funds for merit raises. Union officials say faculty members earn $30,000 to $147,000 a year. Most faculty pay is toward the lower end of that scale.
The faculty have been without a contract since 1999 and have not had a salary increase since 1998. Union members have said they will call for a strike vote in March, and could strike as early as April 2.
The two sides met before a federal mediator yesterday morning, but Musto said there are no further meetings scheduled.
Musto also faulted the administration for issuing a news release announcing portions of the offer before the union had a chance to study the proposal or respond.
"If this was an offer whose purpose was to try to reach an agreement, then I doubt he would have sent out a news release," Musto said. "I think the main objectives are an attempt to deceive the public and try and split the faculty."
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