Hawaii teachers say they were shocked and angered to hear Gov. Neil Abercrombie tell a group of the nation’s governors that the state may again impose a labor contract on teachers if a 2013-15 deal isn’t reached.
He made the remarks Sunday at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., as part of an education and workforce panel that covered topics including teacher pay and policy reforms.
Abercrombie said the Hawaii teachers union has been fighting "tooth and nail" against performance-based teacher evaluations as part of a new contract despite, he said, buy-in from teachers and students.
"At the present time, at least in my context, a statewide contract has not yet been able to be achieved. We achieved it at the negotiating level, but we haven’t been able to get the board of the union to get it out to their membership," Abercrombie said at the panel discussion, which can be seen at c-spanvideo.org. "So if push comes to shove, then we’ll have to continue to impose a contract."
Hawaii teachers have been working under a "last, best and final offer" that the state unilaterally imposed in July 2011 when talks reached an impasse. That contract, which is set to expire June 30, hit teachers with pay cuts and a higher share of health insurance premiums.
The state is in negotiations with the Hawaii State Teachers Association for a contract for 2013-15.
Abercrombie was traveling Tuesday, but his spokeswoman Louise Kim McCoy said in a statement to the Star-Advertiser that the governor "was referring to the current LBFO (last, best and final offer) and it continuing to remain in effect through the end of the contract period since the HSTA has not ratified a contract for the current period."
"The governor, together with Superintendent Kathy Matayoshi and the Board of Education, remains committed to the collective bargaining process in order to achieve a contract with HSTA that teachers will ratify."
The governor’s remarks sparked anger among teachers who circulated a video clip of Abercrombie’s comments, sharing it through email and on Facebook pages.
"It had a very disrespectful tone; it almost seemed comical to him," said Mike Landes, a Lahainaluna High School social studies teacher. "I’m disgusted that in the middle of negotiations the governor would make comments that are obviously counteractive and clearly against our collective bargaining rights. It makes me wonder how any of us can trust him."
Corey Rosenlee, a social studies teacher at Campbell High School, said he sensed an unwillingness from the governor to work with teachers.
"It was upsetting to see, basically," Rosenlee said. "It shows that the governor is not bargaining in good faith. He’s saying, ‘If I don’t get what I want, I’ll do it again and impose another contract.’"
Others, such as Doug Robertson, a fourth-grade teacher at Kaleiopuu Elementary in Waipahu, said Abercrombie’s comments put a damper on the negotiating process.
"When the guy who signs the checks just comes out and says that he’s going to impose another contract, how am I supposed to be in any way optimistic about the outcome of negotiations?" Robertson said. "It’s incredibly demoralizing as a teacher in Hawaii."
He said he also took offense to Abercrombie’s portrayal of teacher buy-in on performance evaluations.
"It’s frustrating that he repeatedly says teachers and students are on board with what he has to say. I don’t know any teachers who agree with what he says," Robertson added.
HSTA President Wil Okabe called the governor’s remarks surprising and concerning.
"I don’t know what prompted the governor to make those comments, because HSTA has been meeting with the state in negotiations, and both of us are very encouraged with the progress that’s been made over the last month or so," Okabe said.
Justin Hughey, a special-education teacher at King Kamehameha III Elementary on Maui, said, "It seems to me like a strike is unavoidable at this point. Teachers, parents, the community and legislators I’ve talked to all thought the first imposed contract was a huge mistake."
Soon after the state imposed the 2011 contract, the teachers union filed a prohibited-practice complaint with the Hawaii Labor Relations Board that contends the state violated teachers’ collective bargaining rights and acted in bad faith.
A ruling is still pending, nearly nine months after a final hearing in the case, leaving teachers unable to strike absent a decision.
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On the Net:
» C-SPAN video: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4368240
» Abercrombie’s full remarks: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4369763
