Posted on: Tuesday, June 5, 2001

Governor signs legislation to pay for teachers' raises

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Ben Cayetano has signed into law a bill financing the negotiated pay raises for public school teachers, closing a stormy chapter that peaked with the longest public education strike in state history.

The bill includes $111.8 million in state general money for the teacher pay raises and other benefits under the negotiated settlement and $3.5 million for salary increases for Department of Education officers and employees excluded from collective bargaining.

Public school teachers statewide went on strike for 19 days before union and state officials reached a settlement that gives most teachers 18 percent pay increases over four years. There are about 12,000 teachers in the Hawai'i State Teachers Association.

The University of Hawai'i faculty union also went on strike along with the teachers for 13 days. It was the first time that public worker unions shut down a state's entire public education system.

Cayetano last week signed into law a bill to finance the University of Hawai'i faculty's negotiated pay raises.