Teacher contract vote

[csgray]

I just want people to be aware that the HSTA has not given Hawaii teachers realistic choices in this round of contract voting. What the media is reporting is that teachers are being given the chance to revote on the offer we already overwhelmingly rejected AND the opportunity to authorize a strike. Instead when I went to vote we had only two options: the contract language we already rejected, which the employer (State of Hawaii) has said is no longer an option, or to vote to strike. No other choices were given us.

The option many teachers wanted, the option we had been led to believe would be available to us, was to again reject the contract, reject striking, and send a message to our union to get off their butts and negotiate a fair contract. This was not an option given to us. I am furious and frustrated with the HSTA "leadership" who do not seem to know how to actually lead and serve the dues paying union members who pay their salaries.

Carol

[dmbwest]

Auwe Carol,

Ugh ... If can, would you put up email address(s) to voice our opinon too ?

aloha,
dedidcated to the next generation,
pog

[opihikao]

FYI:

Teachers union finishes up case before state labor board

By Mary Vorsino


POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 18, 2012

After 10 months of hearings, the Hawaii teachers union wrapped up a prohibited-practice case Thursday before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, where it argued that the state's decision to impose a contract in July violated members' rights.

The conclusion came on the day that teachers began voting for a second time on a contract they had overwhelmingly rejected in January. (*More at link)

http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=152002395

[opihikao]

I'm still fuming about this whole hot mess. This is totally unacceptable. All of it. Our teachers deserve a heck of alot better, and this union leadership is frankly, disturbing(for many years).

(*Snipped by me - more at link):

http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2012/0...-hot-seat/

Less than 12 hours before the hearing began, HSTA's Board of Directors officially declared that union members had elected Okabe to another term as their president.

Okabe withstood five hours of questioning from the union's attorney, Rebecca Covert, and Jim Halvorson of the state Attorney General's Office.

He was asked over and over about the contract negotiations process, both in specifics and generalities. But he stumbled at times over the implications of the "last, best, final offer" that was unilaterally implemented last summer.

One of the biggest revelations from the hearing was how little Okabe appeared to know about the implications of an impasse and a "last, best, final offer."

Watched this over the past years, all of the issues our teachers deal with, and the State and the union have both screwed the very people who are in charge of our future. Our kids suffer for these damn machinations. (Shutting up now...very angry about this.)

Thank you teachers for all of your hard work,dealing with our children,and these morons who have no clue the dedication you have deserves a standing ovation and a great contract! Just my own disgusted opinion. (sorry and thank you for letting me vent. UGH!)

[opihikao]

quote:

---

Originally posted by pog

Auwe Carol,

Ugh ... If can, would you put up email address(s) to voice our opinon too ?

aloha,
dedidcated to the next generation,
pog

---

Aloha, pog, (enjoy reading your posts, btw)

Here's a link to contact the HSTA:

http://www.hsta.org/about-location.php

Home page for HSTA:

http://www.hsta.org/index.php

Don't know if our public opinion will matter, but it's worth trying. Have a good weekend.

(Still fuming about this whole issue. And they wonder why good teachers leave us.[!])

[pslamont]

The teachers union seems to be a little lost to me. There is not a contract offer on the table at this time. Why are they voting on one? The point would be to vote to strike or not to strike because there is not a acceptable offer on the table.

The state needs to wise up. Hawaii has one of the WORST public education systems in the entire contry. They send recruiters out to the mainland, bring in these nice fresh teachers without making them understand that they can not live on the salaries offered. After one to two years they realize they are ready to buy a home, start a family, move forward in general. Hawaii has chosen not to recognize previous work for the pay scale so someone arrives here with a masters degree and is started out on the bottom rung of the pay scale and kept there. No wonder they will not stay.

Okay, off my soapbox. All I can say is that my hubby left a California teaching position at $98,000 a year and got a whopping $43,000 a year here in Hawaii. They have now informed him that because he received his Masters plus 30 units before arriving in Hawaii, they will "not count" on the pay pyramid. It's insane.

Just another random rant. Pam

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[bystander]

Whatever happened to mandatory random drug tests for teachers? I remember a few years ago this was a big issue during the Lingle administration. Lots of people were talking about it on this forum and elsewhere. I thought she got it put on the contract but it was never enforced or implemented. I guess Aiona was supposed to carry it out but he lost to Abercrombie. Good Thing!

[opihikao]

FYI:

The state publicly rejected an offer from the teachers union Friday, saying it could not "responsibly accept" a proposal that it estimated would cost taxpayers $1 billion over four years.

"It's obvious there is more work to do to reach a resolution," Schools Superintendent Kathryn Mata­yo­shi said in a news release.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?action=login&f=y&id=188469561

IMO, the State needs to resolve this STAT! Teachers deserve fair wages and benefits! For crying out loud, they are also "on the front line". Disgusting.

BTW, what benefit is the union if they cannot represent our teachers and get results? Are the union reps taking a pay cut? (Rhetoric question). UGH.

[kalakoa]

At least the State is consistent -- out-of-state trade licensure also "does not count".

[opihikao]

FYI:

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
After more than two years of negotiations, the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) has reached an agreement with the state Department of Education over a new employment contract, according to a statement released by the HSTA early Sunday evening.


(*Snipped - More at link)

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/21781...ct-dispute