Teachers' union, state renew contract talks

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Education Writer

A new phase of labor negotiations between the state and public-school teachers' union began this week, with both sides pushing for a wage agreement by April 15.

That would leave one week for teachers to vote on the deal before April 22, the deadline for presenting a ratified contract to the Legislature if money for pay raises is to be included in next year's budget.

Negotiators for the Hawai'i State Teachers Association and the state expect to continue bargaining sessions with a federal mediator every weekday until a deal is struck.

"We're just going to stay at it until we get it resolved," HSTA executive director Joan Husted said.

Chief state negotiator Ken Taira said he is optimistic that an agreement will emerge by April 15 and win approval from teachers before the deadline.

"There has been some movement," he said. "We haven't reached a logjam."

The two sides were far apart on initial wage proposals last month.

The teachers asked for raises of 15 percent for each year of the two-year contract, with an annual cost of $90 million. The state offered 1 percent raises that would cost $6 million per year. Negotiators also differed on issues related to time management and teachers' responsibilities outside classrooms.

Both sides said an information blackout that's required for mediation precluded them from specifying how their offers have changed.

"There's been good-faith bargaining going on," Husted said. "Both sides want to get a settlement, so we're working at it. I'm still optimistic we're going to meet the deadline."

The raises HSTA initially sought would increase starting teachers' annual pay from $36,486 to $45,000, and raise the average salary from $44,000 to $60,000. A longer-term goal is to increase top-scale pay from $66,203 to $100,000 by 2009.

Hawai'i's teachers went on strike for three weeks in April 2001 before ratifying a contract that included raises totaling 18.5 percent over two years. The current contract expires on June 30.

The state has long endured a continuous shortage of teachers, and HSTA has warned that many of its members are thinking of quitting.

A recent survey sponsored by the union indicated that up to half the state's 13,000 teachers don't plan to be teaching here in five years. Some are eligible to retire, but many others said a desire for better pay would prompt them to seek other work here or on the Mainland, according to the survey.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.