We Heard You Loud and Clear We recognize and acknowledge all those who took the time to send an email expressing your frustration, concerns, and heightened anxieties about the University of Hawai‘i’s vaccination mandate intended to go into effect in the spring 2022 semester. We realize many of you found the news upsetting and we share your frustration and confusion over what was issued by the UH administration yesterday. Based on what was posted on the UH website, the UH System Office [...]

The below op-ed was submitted to the Star Advertiser and a version of it was published on 8/15/21: Why we support vaccines and oppose bad management: By Liz Ho, Malcolm Lutu and Christian Fern Hawaii’s public employee unions strongly support COVID-19 vaccinations. However, we do not support the emergency proclamation’s requirement to show proof of vaccination or be subject to testing. Gov. David Ige’s recent announcement leaves us perplexed about how the policy will work. We also object to last week’s announcement [...]

The University of Hawai‘i has informed UHPA that Governor David Igeʻs Emergency Proclamation of August 5, 2021 mandating COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated UH employees will begin on Monday, August 23, 2021. COVID-19 Testing Sites on every Campus The University of Hawai‘i is currently trying to secure private vendors to provide free COVID-19 testing on each campus for all UH students, faculty and staff. No Religious or Medical Exemptions Typically, religious or medical exemptions allow a person to forgo mandated vaccinations. Since this [...]

Caught by Surprise When Gov. David Ige announced his emergency proclamation last Thursday, August 5, it caught many by surprise, including the public-sector unions. We had not seen the emergency proclamation until it was publicly posted after his press conference. We learned about the Governor’s intentions for the first time along with everyone else. There was no advance courtesy notification, even though the emergency proclamation affects all University of Hawaii faculty and all state and county employees.  Productive Discussions with UH Administration [...]

The Hawaii Fire Fighters Association (HFFA), Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA), and the United Public Workers (UPW) released the following joint statement in reaction to Gov. David Ige’s plan to impose a vaccination mandate for state and county employees: We strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccinations as part of our united effort to beat the pandemic and protect our community’s health. The [...]

UHPA’s Negotiations Team has been working with UH over the recent weeks regarding policies concerning returning to work.   These discussions, now being led by Vice President for Community Colleges (VPCC) Erika Lacro are beginning to yield fruitful results and good collaboration, most recently noted by UH President David Lassner announcing that “The previously announced requirement that all employees return to campus August 3 is rescinded and the COVID-19 Telework leave option will remain in place.” Great Results Are Possible Through Genuine [...]