December 2020 (Archives)

Listen to The Conversation between UH and UHPA

UHPA Executive Director Christian Fern & Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno spoke with Catherine Cruz from Hawaii Public Radio On Dec 29, Catherine Cruz of Hawaii Public Radio invited UHPA Executive Director Christian Fern and UH Provost Michael Bruno on “The Conversation” for a one-hour discussion, “UH Administration Talks Labor Contracts, Federal Aid Ahead of 2021.” The discussion is worth a listen and covers topics such as: Reorganization efforts at UH ManoaHow UH positively impacts Hawaii’s economic landscapeImpact of furloughs on the UH [...]

2020-12-30T19:50:41-10:00December 30, 2020|Frontpage, Monday Report, UH Administration, UH Funding|

UHPA responds to media inquiry about our lawsuit

Some members of the media inquired whether UHPA’s lawsuit would be changed as a result of the announcement by the Governor to delay or defer the furloughs. The following response from our Executive Director Christian Fern provided the rationale for the lawsuit: "Since April of this year, Gov. Ige has continued to send mixed messages to public-sector unions about furloughs. The on-again, off-again messages have been unsettling. This has created a considerable amount of confusion among UHPA members. Today [12/23/20] we saw [...]

2020-12-30T19:55:27-10:00December 29, 2020|Frontpage, Legal Judicial, Monday Report|

UHPA news from week ending 12/28

Bargaining Update Mid-term bargaining and proposed furloughs Refer to 12/23/20 UHPA Article “UHPA Sues Gov. Ige For Mandating Furloughs.” Successor Bargaining Negotiations for a successor UHPA/BOR Unit 7 Agreement continues with another meeting scheduled for Monday, December 28, 2020.  Retirement Incentive There are no new updates or additional information on this matter.  Budget Update The Governor rolled out the State Budget this week (University of Hawai‘i). There is a HOLD on the budget due to the Congressional passage of the Appropriation Bill.  [...]

2020-12-30T12:29:15-10:00December 28, 2020|Frontpage, Monday Report|

UHPA Sues Gov. Ige For Mandating Furloughs

The University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly (UHPA), the union that represents about 3.500 faculty members across all 10 campuses of the University of Hawai‘i system, is taking legal action to block the governor’s plan to implement furloughs and a 9.23% reduction in pay. The lawsuit, filed in federal court today against Gov. David Ige, State Comptroller Curt Otaguro, and University of Hawai‘i President David Lassner, seeks a declaratory and prospective injunctive relief from the furloughs going into effect Jan. 1, 2021, as [...]

2020-12-23T17:36:46-10:00December 23, 2020|Contract negotiations, Frontpage, Monday Report|

Free “Credit Card Makeover” webinar for UHPA members

As a member of UHPA you have access to free webinars through your Inside Edge benefits from HomeStreet Bank. Start the year off right with useful and timely info such as Credit Card Makeover: Getting out of Debt and Solving the Mystery of Credit Reports. In addition to the free webinar(s), there are also links to a collection of free financial guidance and services. Access Member-only free financial resources now   Not a member yet? Join now via this instant membership [...]

2020-12-24T10:20:46-10:00December 21, 2020|Frontpage, Membership Benefits, Monday Report|

UHPA news from week ending 12/21

Bargaining Update Successor Bargaining Negotiations for a successor UHPA/BOR Unit 7 Agreement continues with another meeting scheduled for Monday, December 21, 2020.  Check our website for latest updates. Retirement Incentive UHPA has still not received a formal response from the State’s Chief Negotiator Ryker Wada, Governor David Ige, and the State’s Attorney General over the draft MOU.  We continue to remain hopeful that the Employer revisits this matter for further review and consideration.  Any future updates on this topic will be announced [...]

2020-12-21T11:55:03-10:00December 21, 2020|Frontpage, Monday Report|

UHPA news from week ending 12/14

Bargaining Update Mid-Term Bargaining and Proposed Furloughs Please review “UHPA Stands Up Against Governor Ige’s Overreach” published and emailed on 12/11 at about 4:15pm.  Successor Bargaining Irrespective of the situation UHPA is facing with the Employer in mid-term bargaining, negotiations for a successor UHPA/BOR Unit 7 Agreement continues.  Another meeting is scheduled for this Monday, December 14, 2020.  As noted previously, the UHPA Negotiations Committee and the Employer are now fully engaged in discussing and deliberating over the various proposals.  Please visit [...]

2020-12-11T16:22:15-10:00December 14, 2020|Frontpage, Monday Report|

UHPA Stands Up Against Governor Ige’s Overreach

We are now heading into our tenth month of dealing with the health, safety, and economic effects COVD-19 has had on our state. It has been a difficult experience. It has upended and traumatically affected everyone. The pandemic has presented both health and economic crises that no one has been able to escape. The new virus has compelled us to think in new ways. We have all had to remain flexible and adaptable and open to new ideas as we venture outside [...]

2020-12-11T16:16:25-10:00December 11, 2020|Contract negotiations, Frontpage|

Governor created chaos and confusion with furlough roll-out (joint statement)

One day after Gov. David Ige announced plans to furlough tens of thousands of employees in his state workforce, details are emerging showing the so-called plan actually isn’t one. The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA), and the United Public Workers (UPW) have learned that each state department director has been given a very short window to determine which employees to furlough and/or if an exemption should be sought with [...]

2020-12-10T15:39:37-10:00December 10, 2020|Contract negotiations, Frontpage, Monday Report|

A Bad Time for Furloughs

Aloha Faculty members: This afternoon, Gov. David Ige announced his plan to unilaterally implement furloughs for state employees, beginning Jan. 1, 2021.   UHPA is currently under a collective bargaining agreement through June 30, 2021, and has not agreed to the furlough plans presented by Gov. Ige.    UHPA strongly denounces this plan, joining the other public-sector unions to make it clear there will be an adverse impact to our local economy, as forewarned by the University of Hawai‘i Economic Organization (UHERO).   UHPA, [...]

2020-12-09T16:25:41-10:00December 9, 2020|Contract negotiations, Frontpage, Monday Report|
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