Is Hawaii prepared for an island outbreak?
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Josh Green joins Trace Gallagher to discuss how Hawaii is dealing with coronavirus outbreak.
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Two influential Hawaii unions said Tuesday that Gov. David Ige proposed dramatic salary cuts for teachers, as well as first responders, nurses and other essential workers on the front lines of the coronavirus public health crisis.
As Hawaii’s tourism-centric economy has taken a serious blow amid the pandemic, more than 100 hotels, as well as shops and restaurants, have been forced to shut their doors.
The state remains under a stay-at-home order, and more than one-third of Hawaii’s workforce, about 230,000 people, have filed for unemployment, according to Hawaii News Now.
As schools also remain closed and classes transition online to maintain public distancing measures, Ige, a Democrat, has reportedly proposed slashing teachers’ salaries by 20 percent, the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), which represents 14,000 educators, said in a letter to union members Tuesday.
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“According to the governor’s human resources and budget directors, the cuts are meant to prevent an economic collapse as the coronavirus pandemic cuts off major sources of state revenues,” HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said in the letter, according to KHON-TV in Honolulu. “While we recognize the coronavirus has already started to cripple Hawaii’s economy, no one can be sure of its long-term impacts. We believe cutting salaries for tens of thousands of state workers is rash and will hurt our state even more.”
“We were not given any formal proposal, and it is unclear if the governor intends to implement these cuts as furloughs or across-the-board salary decreases,” the letter said.
Rosenlee pointed out that Congress recently appropriated $863 million to Hawaii’s state government with hundreds of millions more for counties as part of a $2 trillion stimulus package. Lawmakers are discussing additional stimulus funding.
In addition to the 20 percent salary cut for teachers, Ige also proposed a 10 percent salary cut for first responders in several sectors, including nurses and correctional workers, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), which represents roughly 40,000 members statewide, confirmed to Hawaii News Now.
Ige has not publicly confirmed the proposals.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige speaks at a community meeting in the aftermath of eruptions from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island on May 7, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“Many of our members who continue to get paid during this quarantine are struggling due to the layoffs or reduced hours of their spouses or significant others,” HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira wrote in a letter addressed to the governor Tuesday, according to Hawaii News Now. “In addition, I take the opportunity to remind you that a significant number of the employees we represent continue to provide critical services to the public, without appropriate protective equipment.”
Perreira also released a video Tuesday, saying, “Frankly folks, I have lost all, all confidence that this administration is going to pull us out of this problem.”
The salary cuts could go into effect as early as May 1, according to both union representatives.
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Speaking in a press conference Tuesday before unions said they were notified about the potential pay cuts, Ige declined to go into detail about whether pay cuts and furloughs were being considered, adding: “We are being prudent and looking at all options to reduce costs.”
The state is “looking at a number of other activities to manage funds we have in anticipation of significant reductions in revenues to fund state services,” the governor said.
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