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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Legislature OKs teacher subs' union

 •  Senate OKs higher excise tax to pay for education

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

Legislation that would allow the state's public school substitute teachers to form their first labor union is on the way to Gov. Linda Lingle's office.

Yesterday was the 48th day of the 60-day session.

The House approved Senate Bill 1426 in a 44-7 vote yesterday. The measure was approved by the Senate earlier in the session.

The Laborers International Union of North America is trying to organize the more than 5,200 substitute teachers now registered with the state Department of Education.

Labor organizer Jimmy Kuroiwa said that if successful, the substitute teacher union would be the first union formed in Hawai'i since the mid-1970s.

But he said Local 368 needs the governor's signature to move ahead with efforts to make the union the official representative of the substitute teachers.

Organizers still are seeking the signatures of hundreds of substitutes on union authorization cards, which would allow Local 368 go to the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board and ask that the issues of unionization and representation be put to a vote before substitute teachers.

In debate on the House floor, Rep. Guy Ontai, R-37th (Mililani, Waipi'o), one of the seven Republicans who opposed the measure, said the bill gives the impression that the state is looking only for part-time teachers.

But Rep. Maile Shimabukuro, D-45th (Wai'anae, Makaha), said rural areas, including the Neighbor Islands, are particularly dependent on substitute teachers.

In the midst of a national shortage of teachers, rural schools have faced the biggest challenge in hiring certified teachers. Although most substitutes are hired on a day-to-day basis, some fill in for regular teachers on longer-term assignments.

The DOE has about 13,000 regular schoolteachers but uses an average of 1,000 substitutes per day across the state, according to a department memo issued in August 2002.

If successful, the effort would give substitute teachers the right to engage in collective bargaining with the state. Hawai'i teachers have been represented since the 1970s by the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, which is precluded by law from also representing substitutes.

Substitute teachers have had several disputes over pay rates and other issues in the last year.

Most recently, the substitutes have clashed with the DOE over whether or not they must have bachelor's degrees to work in the classroom. Last week, DOE officials said they are still examining the issue.

Staff writer Gordon Y.K. Pang contributed to this report. Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.