Posted on: Friday, March 16, 2001
Governor concedes HGEA is winning pay issue
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
The Legislature is on course to approve raises for about 23,000 members of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association and even override a gubernatorial veto, if need be, to ensure the raises go through, Gov. Ben Cayetano said yesterday.
If that happened, it would be the first time in 40 years that the Legislature has overridden a veto.
Cayetano said lawmakers' eagerness to pay for raises for HGEA members, teachers and other public employees has undercut his bargaining position this year and is jeopardizing concessions he has already won from union leaders in negotiations.
The HGEA last year won an arbitration award that granted union members raises averaging 14.5 percent over four years. Cayetano has argued that award is invalid and urged the HGEA to negotiate a new agreement.
Instead, HGEA has lobbied hard at the Legislature, asking lawmakers to appropriate money to pay the raises. Cayetano has said he would veto that appropriation if lawmakers do approve it, but the HGEA raises clearly have bipartisan support among lawmakers.
"It's hard for me when (HGEA executive director) Russell Okata comes back and says, 'Well, governor, we're gonna ride it out,' " Cayetano said. "I know what he means. He's got the votes downstairs" in the House and Senate.
An Advertiser survey in December showed 38 House members and 20 senators favored paying the HGEA arbitration awards, which is more than enough to override a veto.
Lawmakers have said they believe public employees deserve raises. They have argued the arbitration award was binding on the state.
House Majority Whip Brian Schatz, D-24th (Makiki-Tantalus) said he does not agree lawmakers are undermining the governor's bargaining position.
"I guess I'm a little concerned about the tone of the governor's remarks," Schatz said. "I'm not sure that at the height of all the emotions, the best course is to pick a fight."
Cayetano said he had informal discussions with House Republicans, who could use their 19 votes to stop any attempt to override a veto. But he said his sense is they will support the HGEA raises as well and will not help him uphold a veto.
"This Legislature has been consumed by this, and other kinds of things have been falling by the wayside because of this, because politically they want to satisfy the unions," Cayetano said. "I guess during the election they all made promises that they would do so. It's become all-consuming."
Cayetano has sought this year to win concessions from the unions that he said will make government more efficient and reduce its cost, but he said he cannot do that in the case of the HGEA.
The problem, he said is "I don't quite have leverage because they think they're going to get (the raises) anyway. It may not be now, it may be in June when the Legislature comes back to override my veto."
Cayetano was able to negotiate ground-breaking contract # with the United Public Workers, but said the situation with HGEA puts that progress as risk.
The UPW settlement would give 12,000 union members an 11 percent pay raise over two years. The union agreed to reduced sick leave and vacation benefits for new hires.
