SB2832

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in 1970, with the enactment of Hawaii's collective bargaining in public employment law, codified as chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, all public employees were provided with the right to strike. Eight years later, Act 108, Session Laws of Hawaii 1978, amended the law to require that members of bargaining unit (11), firefighters, submit to arbitration, which extinguished their right to strike. Slowly, the law requiring arbitration has expanded and now twelve of the fifteen bargaining units are prohibited from striking.

The legislature also finds that graduate assistants of the University of Hawaii are equally students and employees during their contractual period of assistantship. Graduate assistants face many employment issues that historically could be remedied through the right to unionize, including being subjected to budgetary setbacks, required increases in workload, questionable working conditions, years without a pay increase, poor job security, a lack of sick and vacation leave, and few options to raise grievances.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii to collectively bargain and to repeal the mandatory arbitration requirements for certain collective bargaining units and to allow members of those collective bargaining units to strike.

SECTION 2. Section 89-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

1. By amending subsection (a) to read:

"(a) All employees throughout the State within any of the following categories shall constitute an appropriate bargaining unit:

(1) Nonsupervisory employees in blue collar positions;

(2) Supervisory employees in blue collar positions;

(3) Nonsupervisory employees in white collar positions;

(4) Supervisory employees in white collar positions;

(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;

(6) Educational officers and other personnel of the department of education under the same pay schedule;

(7) Faculty of the University of Hawaii and the community college system;

(8) Personnel of the University of Hawaii and the community college system, other than faculty;

(9) Registered professional nurses;

(10) Institutional, health, and correctional workers;

(11) Firefighters;

(12) Police officers;

(13) Professional and scientific employees, who cannot be included in any of the other bargaining units;

(14) State law enforcement officers; [~~and~~]

(15) State and county ocean safety and water safety officers[.]; and

(16) Graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii."

2. By amending subsection (d) to read:

"(d) For the purpose of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, the public employer of an appropriate bargaining unit shall mean the governor together with the following employers:

(1) For bargaining units (1), (2), (3), (4), (9), (10), (13), (14), and (15), the governor shall have six votes and the mayors, the chief justice, and the Hawaii health systems corporation board shall each have one vote if they have employees in the particular bargaining unit;

(2) For bargaining units (11) and (12), the governor shall have four votes and the mayors shall each have one vote;

(3) For bargaining units (5) and (6), the governor shall have three votes, the board of education shall have two votes, and the superintendent of education shall have one vote; and

(4) For bargaining units (7) [~~and~~], (8), and (16) the governor shall have three votes, the board of regents of the University of Hawaii shall have two votes, and the president of the University of Hawaii shall have one vote.

Any decision to be reached by the applicable employer group shall be on the basis of simple majority, except when a bargaining unit includes county employees from more than one county. In that case, the simple majority shall include at least one county."

3. By amending subsection (f) to read:

"(f) The following individuals shall not be included in any appropriate bargaining unit or be entitled to coverage under this chapter:

(1) Elected or appointed official;

(2) Member of any board or commission; provided that nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit a member of a collective bargaining unit from serving on a governing board of a charter school, on the state public charter school commission, or as a charter school authorizer established under chapter 302D;

(3) Top-level managerial and administrative personnel, including the department head, deputy or assistant to a department head, administrative officer, director, or chief of a state or county agency or major division, and legal counsel;

(4) Secretary to top-level managerial and administrative personnel under paragraph (3);

(5) Individual concerned with confidential matters affecting employee-employer relations;

(6) Part-time employee working less than twenty hours per week, except part-time employees included in [~~unit~~] units (5)[;] and (16);

(7) Temporary employee of three months' duration or less;

(8) Employee of the executive office of the governor or a household employee at Washington Place;

(9) Employee of the executive office of the lieutenant governor;

(10) Employee of the executive office of the mayor;

(11) Staff of the legislative branch of the State;

(12) Staff of the legislative branches of the counties, except employees of the clerks' offices of the counties;

(13) Any commissioned and enlisted personnel of the Hawaii national guard;

(14) Inmate, kokua, patient, ward, or student of a state institution;

(15) Student help[;], except for graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii;

(16) Staff of the Hawaii labor relations board;

(17) Employees of the Hawaii national guard youth challenge academy; or

(18) Employees of the office of elections."

SECTION 3. Section 89-11, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:

"(d) If an impasse exists between a public employer and the exclusive bargaining representative of bargaining unit (1), nonsupervisory employees in blue collar positions; bargaining unit (2), supervisory employees in blue collar positions; bargaining unit (3), nonsupervisory employees in white collar positions; bargaining unit (4), supervisory employees in white collar positions; bargaining unit (5), teachers and other personnel of the department of education; [or] bargaining unit (6), educational officers and other personnel of the department of education under the same salary schedule; bargaining unit (7), faculty of the University of Hawaii and the community college system[,]; bargaining unit (8), personnel of the University of Hawaii and the community college system, other than faculty; bargaining unit (9), registered professional nurses; bargaining unit (13), professional and scientific employees; bargaining unit (14), state law enforcement officers; bargaining unit (15), state and county ocean safety and water safety officers; or bargaining unit (16), graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii, the board shall assist in the resolution of the impasse as follows:

(1) Voluntary mediation. During the first twenty days of the date of impasse, either party may request the board to assist in a voluntary resolution of the impasse by appointing a mediator or mediators, representative of the public from a list of qualified persons maintained by the board;

(2) Mediation. If the impasse continues more than twenty days, the board shall appoint a mediator or mediators representative of the public from a list of qualified persons maintained by the board, to assist the parties in a voluntary resolution of the impasse. The board may compel the parties to attend mediation, reasonable in time and frequency, until the fiftieth day of impasse. Thereafter, mediation shall be elective with the parties, subject to the approval of the board;

(3) Report of the board. The board shall promptly report to the appropriate legislative body or bodies the following circumstances as each occurs:

(A) The date of a tentative agreement and whether the terms thereof are confidential between the parties;

(B) The ratification or failure of ratification of a tentative agreement;

(D) The terms of a tentative agreement; or

(E) On or about the fiftieth day of impasse, the failure of mediation.

The parties shall provide the board with the requisite information; and

(4) After the fiftieth day of impasse, the parties may resort to [~~such~~] other remedies that are not prohibited by any agreement pending between them, other provisions of this chapter, or any other law.

(e) If an impasse exists between a public employer and the exclusive representative of [bargaining unit (2), supervisory employees in blue collar positions; bargaining unit (3), nonsupervisory employees in white collar positions; bargaining unit (4), supervisory employees in white collar positions; bargaining unit (6), educational officers and other personnel of the department of education under the same salary schedule; bargaining unit (8), personnel of the University of Hawaii and the community college system, other than faculty; bargaining unit (9), registered professional nurses;] bargaining unit (10), institutional, health, and correctional workers; bargaining unit (11), firefighters; or bargaining unit (12), police officers[~~; bargaining unit (13), professional and scientific employees; bargaining unit (14), state law enforcement officers; or bargaining unit (15), state and county ocean safety and water safety officers~~], the board shall assist in the resolution of the impasse as follows:

(1) Mediation. During the first twenty days after the date of impasse, the board shall immediately appoint a mediator, representative of the public from a list of qualified persons maintained by the board, to assist the parties in a voluntary resolution of the impasse.

(2) Arbitration. If the impasse continues twenty days after the date of impasse, the board shall immediately notify the employer and the exclusive representative that the impasse shall be submitted to a three-member arbitration panel who shall follow the arbitration procedure provided herein.

(A) Arbitration panel. Two members of the arbitration panel shall be selected by the parties; one shall be selected by the employer and one shall be selected by the exclusive representative. The neutral third member of the arbitration panel, who shall chair the arbitration panel, shall be selected by mutual agreement of the parties. In the event that the parties fail to select the neutral third member of the arbitration panel within thirty days from the date of impasse, the board shall request the American Arbitration Association, or its successor in function, to furnish a list of five qualified and experienced interest arbitrators from which the neutral arbitrator shall be selected. Within five days after receipt of the list, the parties shall alternately strike names from the list until a single name is left, who shall be immediately appointed by the board as the neutral arbitrator and chairperson of the arbitration panel.

(B) Final positions. Upon the selection and appointment of the arbitration panel, each party shall submit to the panel, in writing, with copy to the other party, a final position that shall include all provisions in any existing collective bargaining agreement not being modified, all provisions already agreed to in negotiations, and all further provisions that each party is proposing for inclusion in the final agreement; provided that [~~such~~] further provisions shall be limited to those specific proposals that were submitted in writing to the other party and were the subject of collective bargaining between the parties up to the time of the impasse, including those specific proposals that the parties have decided to include through a written mutual agreement. The arbitration panel shall decide whether final positions are compliant with this provision and which proposals may be considered for inclusion in the final agreement.

(C) Arbitration hearing. Within one hundred twenty days of its appointment, the arbitration panel shall commence a hearing at which time the parties may submit, either in writing or through oral testimony, all information or data supporting their respective final positions. The arbitrator, or the chairperson of the arbitration panel together with the other two members, are encouraged to assist the parties in a voluntary resolution of the impasse through mediation, to the extent practicable throughout the entire arbitration period until the date the panel is required to issue its arbitration decision.

(D) Arbitration decision. Within thirty days after the conclusion of the hearing, a majority of the arbitration panel shall reach a decision pursuant to subsection (f) on all provisions that each party proposed in its respective final position for inclusion in the final agreement and transmit a preliminary draft of its decision to the parties. The parties shall review the preliminary draft for completeness, technical correctness, and clarity and may mutually submit to the panel any desired changes or adjustments that shall be incorporated in the final draft of its decision. Within fifteen days after the transmittal of the preliminary draft, a majority of the arbitration panel shall issue the arbitration decision."

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 for collective bargaining expenses related to graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval and shall apply to public sector collective bargaining contracts executed on or after its effective date; provided that section 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2022.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2832
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII