Governor pushing for union reforms

By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Page Editor

The tug-of-war between Gov. Ben Cayetano and public unions over a new wage contract reflects a far more fundamental struggle than a quick look might suggest.

At the surface, this is about the same thing it always is: money. The governor simply does not want to spend the half-billion or more that is implied at the outside limits of the union demands.

The unions are saying the state has the ability to pay, they have gone without a wage hike for years and they deserve a cut of the state’s newfound, if fragile, prosperity.

If it were only about money, the matter would be relatively simple. Somehow, the negotiators would find their way to the middle and hand out the bucks. But it isn’t that simple.

That’s because Cayetano is up to more than saving money. He is trying to fundamentally restructure the way collective bargaining takes place in Hawai‘i. In effect, he is pushing ahead with his effort to reform the civil service system across the bargaining table.

Union leaders understand what is going on. The canny among them will recognize the tide of inevitability and seek to cut the best bargain they can. Because even if Cayetano fails this time around, the issue will not go away.

For instance, with the possible exception of Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono (and we haven’t heard all she has to say yet), the leading candidates for governor in 2002 are all firmly planted on the side of union and civil service "reform."

Cayetano’s basic push, crudely put, is that he wants increases in "productivity" in exchange for wage hikes. No longer does the simple passage of time qualify as a reason for a raise.

His first victory along these lines was the agreement to add extra teaching days into the last public school teacher contract in exchange for a raise. This time around, he has cut a tentative agreement with the United Public Workers to scale back sick leave and vacation benefits for new hires.

No longer will new hires automatically be eligible for maximum sick day and vacation leave. They will have to earn it through seniority.

Over time, this will be a money saver for the state and the counties as well as a boon for managers, who will have better control over their work force.

The toughest nut for Cayetano to crack will be the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly. How does one measure the "productivity" of a college professor? Cayetano has suggested it is nothing more complex than adding hours to the typical professorial work-load. But is it?

Who is more productive: The researcher who has achieved fame for his efforts at cloning mice or an undergraduate English professor who teaches and polishes hundreds of students each year?

Or how does one compare the productivity of a lecturer who has huge classes vs. a professor whose leisurely seminars inspire one or two students to great artistic or scientific achievements?

So it won’t be easy. Inevitably, however, every state worker from the top university professor to the entry-level janitor will have to realize that their deal with their employer is more than a steadily increasing salary and lifetime job security.

It’s a new era, and this fight over the current round of contracts is only the first of many changes.

Jerry Burris is editor of the editorial pages of The Advertiser. You can reach him through the letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.

[back to top]