HGEA units ratify new 2-year contracts
Two units of the Hawaii Government Employees Association that include about 14,400 public workers have ratified a new two-year contract with the state and counties.
Last week the union halted contract ratification voting for bargaining Units 3 and 4 after HGEA learned negotiators for the Hawaii State Teachers Association won larger across-the-board raises and a larger bonus than HGEA had negotiated for those units.
However, the union resumed bargaining over the weekend, and this week resumed ratification meetings with a neutral recommendation on the latest proposed contract, which union leaders described as “slightly better” than the original proposal.
On Thursday, HGEA announced 73 percent of the Unit 3 members and 72.5 percent of Unit 4 members voted to accept the latest proposal.