Michael Nauyokas

The labor lawyer sees union power in Hawaii at a critical juncture and recommends mediation

By Vicki Viotti

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 12, 2011

~~<p>Michael Nauyokas, labor lawyer and mediator, points to some of the framed thank-you notes and other keepsakes around his office, symbols of disputes he helped to resolve. People are sometimes so happy to have peace in the valley again, he said, that they send champagne and flowers. "A lot of times people are just so relieved to get the dispute behind them," he added. "A lot of times they say, 'Thank you for getting us out of this mess.'"</p>
<p>Nauyokas, 52, is not involved in what must be among the biggest labor conflicts in recent state history: the Hawaii State Teachers Association's complaint before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board. In it, the union charges that the state administration engaged in a prohibited practice when Gov. Neil Abercrombie unilaterally implemented his "last, best and final" offer amounting to 5 percent pay cuts.</p>
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Michael Nauyokas, labor lawyer and mediator, points to some of the framed thank-you notes and other keepsakes around his office, symbols of disputes he helped to resolve. People are sometimes so happy to have peace in the valley again, he said, that they send champagne and flowers. "A lot of times people are just so relieved to get the dispute behind them," he added. "A lot of times they say, 'Thank you for getting us out of this mess.'"

Nauyokas, 52, is not involved in what must be among the biggest labor conflicts in recent state history: the Hawaii State Teachers Association's complaint before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board. In it, the union charges that the state administration engaged in a prohibited practice when Gov. Neil Abercrombie unilaterally implemented his "last, best and final" offer amounting to 5 percent pay cuts. Login for more...