Posted on: Friday, April 2, 2004

Lingle still weighing view on pay raises

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday that she has not yet decided what recommendation she will make to lawmakers next week when she submits an arbitration panel's decision on pay raises for 23,000 members of the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

But she told reporters, in her first remarks on the decision since it was announced Monday, that pay raises for all government workers likely will have an adverse impact on the state budget.

"It's not the first six months that are an issue for us, but it's the compounding effect that the raises have," Lingle said.

The award gives HGEA workers no raise this fiscal year, which ends June 30, nor during the first six months of fiscal year 2005. Instead, the panel granted raises of 5 percent beginning Jan. 1. That amounts to an across-the-board pay raise for six months of the two-year contract.

Additionally, employees would be granted "step" raises on their anniversary days based on their years of service.

Lingle noted that the 13,000-member Hawaii State Teachers Association and 8,300 members of the United Public Workers have yet to settle their contracts.