STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1187

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 1011

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1011, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to change how disputes between public employers and employee organizations are resolved.

     More specifically, this measure:

(1)  Repeals the existing prohibition on the use of arbitration to resolve disputes relating to the amount of contributions by the State and counties to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF);

(2)  Requires the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, upon the failure of disputing parties to timely select a neutral third member for an arbitration panel, to directly furnish a list of arbitrators from which the third member of the panel will be selected;

(3)  Repeals the existing statutory provisions under which the Legislature establishes the amount of the contributions to be made by the State and counties to the EUTF if the disputing parties have not timely reached an agreement regarding the contributions; and

(4)  Repeals the existing prohibition on bargaining unit members striking on the issue of the amounts of contributions by the State and counties to the EUTF.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.  The Office of Collective Bargaining, the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, and the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association submitted comments on the measure.  

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to March 15, 2038, to encourage further discussion on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1011, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1011, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair