Updated at 1:44 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Police, fire chiefs rally against 'anti-management' bill
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Senate Bill 1642 would essentially overturn a 2005 Hawai'i Supreme Court decision that gave the city the right to transfer 10 Pearl City refuse workers to the Honolulu base yard because they had no work to do in Pearl City.
County managers said the bill's impact would affect all public worker unions and could lead to staffing shortages among emergency responders in several districts if the managers are denied the flexibility to move employees around to fill holes — meaning it could be a longer wait for emergency services and more taxpayer money going toward overtime pay in districts where there are vacancies.
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
