Labor

...Honolulu County workers make more than neighbor island workers....

Is a 7% return on investment sustainable into the future? Another organization that studied the issue said that a more realistic rate of return would be the “risk-free” rate, which they calculated at 2.344%....

New York continued to have the highest union membership rate (23.6 percent), Hawaii and Alaska are tied for second at 21.7 percent each....

...an owner of an investment property in Honolulu worth less than half a million dollars can expect to see his (her) combined City and State property tax bill double....

Salaries and benefits of Hawaii government workers have increased by 26 percent in the past decade....

...county workers in Hawaii make a mean average wage of $61,365 a year....

...non-government workers in Hawaii make, on average, $43,544 in annual pay and benefits (adjusted for cost of living) which ranks as the lowest compensation in in the nation....

...our state government paid half a million dollars in pension payments to people who were already dead. Well, then, what do you think of budgeting many times that amount for people who don’t even exist?....

... What do we have to show for $2B in High-Tech tax credits?  Nothing ....

State lawmakers were in shock this week as Hawaii’s pension debt increased from $8 billion to $12 billion....

The sole purpose of the taskforce was to help the 675 workers who were laid off last year....

...teachers may continue to plan trips and serve as chaperones with private tour companies....

The next scheduled raise is Jan. 1, 2018 when it will increase to $10.10....

Earlier this year, our lawmakers passed Act 25. It bans smoking on the premises of our state-owned hospitals....

...fourth quarter 2016 Statistical and Economic Report....

In 2016, Hawaii ranked 40th among the states with an OPEB funding ratio of 29.2 percent....

...Judge Katherine G. Leonard of the Intermediate Court of Appeals served as Acting Chief Justice for the Hawaii Supreme Court in this case. All five of the regular justices of the Hawaii Supreme Court had recused themselves....

...job pressures, low pay and lack of mobility force many teachers to quit soon after they start....

On the day the AP report was published, a Task Force was formed made up of influential vessel owners, suppliers, the Honolulu Fish Auction and the Hawaii Seafood Council to begin to assess the problem and work on solutions to protect the welfare of the crewmen....

A State-by-State Analysis of the Factors Influencing Teacher Supply, Demand, and Equity....

...Why are matters of life and death not taking precedence over every other issue facing the state at this time?....

The impact of the bed closures will mean a decreased capacity with critical services such as Stroke, Heart, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Trauma and other critical care needs requiring transport to Oahu....

With a new date of July 1, 2017, we will all avoid the perpetual raising and dashing of expectations as interim closing dates are repeatedly set and cancelled....

SB2077 could result in the ERS plan being disqualified by the Internal Revenue Service....

Percentage of population with a long commute, Hours worked, Percentage of income spent on rent....

Hawaii’s construction industry made the second largest contribution to state GDP at 5.9 percent with an increase of 0.5 percent from 2014, the largest year-over-year improvement of any state....

...nearly 30% of union members would quit if they could....

The Maui Region hospitals will be transferred from Hawai‘i Health System Corporation management to Kaiser not earlier than November 6, 2016....

... contributions would be included in the employees’ income and taxed as normal wages when contributed. Further, the employees would be subject to federal income taxes on the portion of their benefits funded by the employer at the time that the benefits vest ....

...what happens if a benefit plan does get disqualified? According to the IRS’ website, there are potentially severe consequences to the employer, the employees, and the plan itself....

...kabuki theater aimed at baffling and confusing union members to make it look like their union bosses are actually doing something for them when they’re not....

...at $6,000 per resident, the burden of Hawaii’s pension shortfalls is among the highest in the nation....

...after having seen Caldwell in ‘action’ as mayor, Damien and the IBEW have thrown their support firmly behind Charles....

...leaders of the International Union of Operating Engineers who were accused of squandering pension funds....

"The bill jeopardizes the Employees Retirement System’s tax exempt status...."

... Grassroot Institute Exposes Flaws in Veto Override Regarding Maui Hospitals ....

Legislators will convene on Monday, July 18th for a special session to determine whether $25 million in severance pay will be paid to union employees transitioning to new employment in a private hospital system....

"The Hawaii State Constitution provides: 'The employment of persons in the civil service shall be governed by the merit principle....'"

...Yesterday, when asked to respond on EMS staffing shortages, the mayor again refused to respond....

"The legislature must avoid establishing a costly disincentive that would hinder the saving of other neighbor islands' hospital systems through healthy public-private partnerships...."

Each event is offered free of charge and will run from 5 to 7 p.m....

...In a Special Session, Legislators may amend the bill and take a vote - bill passes with a simple majority....

...these endorsements are approved by Maui HGEA leaders but have not been officially ‘blessed’ by State HGEA HQ....

...The new hospital public-private partnership is estimated to save the state $260 million in costs over the next decade....these savings could disappear if the costs for the transition is too great....

Penalties for Workers’ Compensation, Temporary Disability Insurance and Prevailing Wages Violations Increase....

"Hawaii has…80 schools where 90% of teachers are absent ten days or more."

...The unions endorsing Djou were the first unions to support Kirk Caldwell for mayor in 2010 and backed Caldwell again in 2012....