In his State of the State address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie said, "This administration won’t abandon collective bargaining."

Yet Abercrombie was the first governor in the country to mandate a contract on teachers.

Attacks on public sector unions have been driven by the Republican Party. Abercrombie didn’t try to eliminate the teachers union; he just bypassed the collective bargaining law in the Hawaii Constitution.

For the record, look at the timeline of this circus.

» At his inaugural after he won election, Abercrombie stated over and over, "No more furloughs." This must have been political grandstanding because furloughs were eliminated for students but not for their teachers. The terminology was then changed to Directed Leave Without Pay, or DLWOP, days.

» 2011: After the governor imposed a contract on the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the union filed a lawsuit to protect its constitutional rights to bargain. A complaint was also filed with the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

» January 2012: The teachers were so upset with a contract that had continued pay reduction, they voted not to ratify the contract proposed by HSTA.

» February 2012: The governor gave up on negotiations and lobbied to end teacher tenure and unilaterally change the teacher evaluation system through the Legislature.

» March 2012: The state gave a worse offer just 21⁄2 pages long with no pay increase; HSTA rejected it.

» May 2012: HSTA brought the previous contract, initially voted down by teachers, for a second vote. It had not been formally withdrawn and legally could be voted on again. The governor rejected what he previously supported. (In a similar scenario in Maryland, the governor there accepted the union’s second attempt.) HSTA finished presenting evidence to the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

» June 2012: The state had a $300 million budget surplus created on the backs of public sector unions. All Abercrombie had to do was sign the contract he originally agreed to.

» September 2012: The state offered HSTA federal mediation, with the stipulation there be no media announcements unless made jointly. The governor violated this and the two parties came away with no contract.

» October 2012: The Hawaii Supreme Court told the labor board — its members are appointed by the governor — to answer why it has taken more than four months to issue a decision.

» November 2012: The labor board explained it can take years to render a decision. Keep in mind that if the union strikes before a decision is rendered, it loses the lawsuit. The Hawaii Teachers Work to the Rule movement was born and spread to more than a hundred public schools.

» December 2012: The state offered a take-it-or-leave-it offer to HSTA; the union rejected it.

» January 2013: The state rejected HSTA’s offer for four years: restoration of a 60/40 percent medical contribution; restoration of 5 percent pay reduction and 4 percent increase each year.

During this long ordeal, teachers in Hawaii observed the successful Chicago teachers strike, and it was very eye-opening. The Chicago teacher’s average salary was $76,000. They wanted a 20 percent raise for the first year of their contract, but settled for 17 percent.

Teachers in Hawaii are the lowest paid in the nation based on cost of living. The average elementary teacher’s adjusted cost of living salary is only $27,048. Due to a teacher shortage, Hawaii hires teachers without teaching certification and pays them $30,610, an income for a family of three that qualifies for food stamps. Meager pay is one reason why Hawaii has the highest rate of teachers leaving the profession, with 56 percent leaving every five years, and up to 1,600 leaving every year.

Last year, Chicago schools spent $12,193 per student, while Hawaii spent $3,641. That amount is trending down, with the Hawaii number for this year coming to $3,531. The projection for next year is $3,452 and the next is projected at $3,401.

Neil Abercrombie said, "Education is a top priority of my administration."

Governor, you speak with forked tongue.