Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 389 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish labor representation procedures in real property development projects in which the State or counties have an ongoing proprietary interest.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, ILWU Local 142, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, and United Public Workers testified in support of this bill.

This bill will avoid the additional costs when labor-management conflicts occur in development projects in which the State or a county has a proprietary interest, because it will require certain employers to agree to "card check" procedures, which are nonconfrontational and expeditious procedures by which workers can register their preferences regarding union representation. Your Committees find that this alternative procedure in selecting union representation will encourage State and county participation in these projects since it will eliminate problems when formal, adversarial, and often acrimonious union certification processes are used, thereby allowing projects to operate more efficiently.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 389 and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.