Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2579, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to fund collective bargaining cost items in the agreements negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representatives of Unit 2, supervisory employees in blue collar positions; Unit 3, nonsupervisory employees in white collar positions; Unit 4, supervisory employees in white collar positions; Unit 5, teachers and other personnel of the Department of Education under the same pay schedule, including part-time employees working less than twenty hours a week who are equal to one-half of a full-time equivalent; Unit 6, educational officers and other personnel of the Department of Education under the same pay schedule; Unit 8, personnel of the University of Hawaii and the community college system; and Unit 13, professional and scientific employees, who cannot be included in any of the other bargaining units, including those officers or employees within Units 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, or 13 who are assigned to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.

This measure also funds salary increases and other cost adjustments authorized by Chapter 89C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for state officers and employees who are excluded from collective bargaining and who belong to the same compensation plans as officers and employees within Units 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, or 13.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 152, AFL-CIO and the Managerial and Confidential Employees Chapter of the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Your Committee finds that, although no sums have been appropriated or authorized from the sources of funding indicated in this measure, a vehicle for funding these collective bargaining cost items, salary increases, and other cost adjustments should continue to advance in the Legislature as negotiations between the State and the exclusive bargaining representatives for Units 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 13 will eventually produce settlements.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2579, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.