On Campus
Teachers, state making little progress
By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Staff Writer
Is there going to be a strike?
Even those closest to the negotiations still can't answer that. Both sides continue to say they want to avoid a strike, but they don't appear to be moving closer during negotiations. A strike will not be definite until midnight Wednesday, when the time for any last-minute settlement runs out.
In the last contract negotiations in 1997, the parties reached a settlement just before midnight; however, schools remained closed the next day because the Department of Education did not have enough time to advise parents and students that the strike had been averted.
Education officials are advising parents to plan for alternate child-care and to check the media for updates.
What could prevent a strike?
A strike could be delayed or postponed if the state wins its legal complaints against the union. The Hawai'i Labor Relations Board is expected to rule on those complaints next week. If the state wins, the union could be ordered back to the bargaining table and away from the picket line.
Another complication is the Felix consent decree. Attorneys in that case said they will ask the federal court to intervene if teachers walk off the job.
How far apart are the two sides?
Officially, the difference between the state and union packages is nearly $200 million.
What is the state's offer?
All three of the state's proposals have added up to $67 million. The first two offers would have given teachers an average 9 percent raise. By reshaping the package, the final offer would give them an average 12 percent raise.
The state has tried to boost recruitment efforts by concentrating on entry-level pay, which it would increase from $29,000 to $35,000. However, the union argues that the package is not favorable to senior teachers because it would eventually lower the top salary from $58,000 to $54,000.
The state also wants to tie pay raises to improved performance. Under its offer, teachers earning national certification would receive a $5,000 bonus for each of the 10 years the certificate is valid.
What's the union's position?
Officially, the union has requested a 22 percent package with a price tag of $260 million. Informally, it has offered a 21 percent package that would cost $161 million. The Hawai'i State Teachers Association says Hawai'i needs to pay its nearly 13,000 teachers more to tackle a teacher shortage crisis. While the state is offering to raise entry-level salaries, the union says it's just as important to retain teachers already in the system.
The HSTA has three requirements for settlement not in the state's offer: a pay raise for all teachers, incremental step movements and a deal retroactive to January 1999, when the latest contract expired.
