Posted on: Tuesday, July 24, 2001

Teachers union awaits state's move

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The governor's proposed solution to a contract dispute between public school teachers and the state is raising more questions than answers, the head negotiator for the teachers union said today.

The Hawai'i State Teachers Association and the state have been unable to agree on whether a professional bonus should be paid for one year or two. Although a three-week strike in April ended with a successful ratification vote, the contact has not been signed and agreed-upon raises not implemented.

Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday proposed that the two sides sign off on all the provisions except the bonus, which would then become part of a separate contract. That would allow teachers to receive their pay raises totaling 16 percent over two years.

"We have not seen the proposal," said Joan Husted, executive director of the teachers union. "He has not discussed it with us. All we have heard is what the media has told us the proposal contains, and we have heard four different versions."

Husted said she had not spoken with the state's chief negotiator, Davis Yogi, since Friday.

"I am flying blind," she said. "We are waiting for either the governor's office or Davis to get hold of us and say what he is talking about. We want to study it and ask questions."

She suspects Yogi is working out the details.

"I am willing to give Davis time to fine-tune it first," she said.

Kim Murakawa, spokeswoman for the governor, said today that Yogi is working with state attorneys to finalize the proposal, but there is no timetable.

The state's 12,000 public school teachers shut down schools in April and were hoping to start the new year free of contract disputes. Some schools on year-round schedules open tomorrow, with many teachers planning to wear their official strike T-shirts.

Husted said teachers are "very angry, very unhappy."

"They thought this was settled," she said. "They were coming into the school year feeling really positive, and now they are wondering why this is being taken away from them."