Updated at 5:23 p.m., Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Voting ends for public school teachers contract
Advertiser Staff
Doors were locked at 5 p.m. today at the Hawai'i State Teachers Association offices, and workers began opening more than 1,000 absentee ballots for and against a new two-year teachers contract.Along with a 4 percent pay raise in each of the two years, plus step increases, the contract includes a clause calling for random drug testing as well as testing based on reasonable suspicion.
The drug testing has been a sticking point for many and could be the major reason if the ratification vote fails, according to HSTA president Roger Takabayashi.
As of 2:30 p.m., HSTA had close to 1,000 of the 1,900 outstanding absentee ballots, but another 159 arrived in the day's last mail delivery an hour before voting closed.
"Teachers could also walk their ballots in," said executive director Joan Husted. Six teachers did.
The union hopes to have final results sometime after 6:30 p.m. today.
