Posted on: Thursday, March 29, 2001

UHPA negotiations with state go 'nowhere'

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Talks between the faculty union and the state have broken down with just one week to go before a potential strike that could shut down Hawai'i's system of higher education.

The state's chief negotiator blames the rift on the faculty union. Last Saturday, 91 percent of the union's membership voted in favor of an April 5 strike date if an agreement could not be reached.

Taking the position that progress was still possible, the state had asked through a federal mediator that the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly not set a strike date until after a negotiation session on Tuesday.

"UHPA did not honor our request, therefore we broke off talks at this point," said Davis Yogi, the governor's chief negotiator. "There was no need to set a strike date. We were making progress. They sent the wrong message, which has made it very difficult to settle."

But UHPA said it never agreed to wait until Tuesday to call for the strike. Members of the UHPA executive committee had a monthly meeting scheduled Saturday and said they could not delay the declaration of an intent to strike because committee members had to vote on the proposal.

J.N. Musto, UHPA executive director, said the state is trying to postpone a strike without settling the contract. "They wanted to delay it," Musto said. "It's just like what they're doing with the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, but with different tactics. They want to delay and delay and delay this, and they don't want to face the music."

The union and the state have reached an impasse over issues of pay, workload and benefits, and talks have been stalled for months. UHPA and state negotiators last met with a federal mediator Friday for more than seven hours and again Tuesday for about three hours. They are not scheduled to meet again until 10 a.m. Monday.

Yogi and Musto both said the Tuesday meeting was unproductive. "The mood changed, basically because they didn't honor our request," Yogi said.

"It went nowhere all it," Musto said. "The governor has hardened his position because we called for a strike."

Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday accused the faculty union leadership of standing in the way of a settlement. "We can probably resolve our issues with UHPA, but their leaders have some problems with me," Cayetano said. "If they're riling themselves up for a strike, then what can I say?"

Musto said the governor is trying to divide the union. "That's just typical," he said. "That is what every private employer tries to do in negotiations."

The state's most recent offer would give UH-Manoa, Hilo and West O'ahu instructors a pay raise of 7 percent over two years, and 3 percent more in merit pay, but would cut all fringe benefits such as health care and retirement credit in the summer months. Community college instructors would receive raises of $2,035 and $2,720 over two years, plus 1 percent in merit pay.

The union is asking for a 12 percent raise over two years, and 0.5 percent in possible merit raises each year. It also wants to reduce the community college teaching load from 15 credit hours a semester to 12 hours.