Hawaii Gov. David Ige: There s No Money To Sustain Government As It Existed - Honolulu Civil Beat
The governor, anticipating a slow economic recovery, likely will present lawmakers with a much-reduced conservative spending plan. Reading time: 8 minutes.
Gov. David Ige is expected to unveil his next two-year budget proposal on Monday and it seems likely there will be something for everyone to hate.
Ige has already announced plans for twice-a-month furloughs for 10,160 state workers starting next month, and warned that state worker layoffs will also be necessary to cope with the gigantic state budget crisis triggered by the pandemic.
As bad as that may sound, it is just the beginning.
mtanji@mauinews.com
Hawaii’s 13,000-member teachers’ union has filed a complaint over the “unilateral imposition” of furloughs that are scheduled to start for public school employees on Jan. 4.
The prohibited practice complaint filed by the Hawaii State Teachers Association with the Hawaii Labor Relations Board says that the state does not have the authority to impose furloughs without bargaining, since HSTA has a contract in place until June 30, 2021.
“Collective bargaining is enshrined in Hawaii’s constitution, and contracts cannot be dismissed when the governor considers them inconvenient. Otherwise, why have a contract?” HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said in a news release Friday evening. “If these illegal furloughs are implemented, Gov. Ige would be the third governor in a row to cut teacher pay. Such a move would be bad for education, worsen Hawaii’s teacher shortage crisis and ultimately hurt our keiki.”
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