STAND. COM. REP. NO. 35-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1531

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 1531 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a collective bargaining unit for graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus; Hawaii Workers Center; UNITE HERE Local 5; Democratic Party of Hawaii Labor Caucus; Academic Labor United; United Electrical, Machine, and Radio Workers Union; Editorial Board of Hawaii Review; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of Collective Bargaining. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that graduate student assistants encounter a myriad of work-related issues which would be most fairly resolved through the collective bargaining process. Your Committee further finds that the right to collectively bargain would give graduate student assistants employed by the University of Hawaii the power to negotiate grievance procedures, including access to arbitration; negotiate their salary, wages, and benefits; and protect themselves against arbitrary and capricious employment behavior.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1531 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Labor & Tourism.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education & Technology,

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GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair