STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2462

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2585

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2585 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a collective bargaining unit for graduate student assistants employed by the University of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State AFL-CIO; University of Hawaii Professional Assembly; Academic Labor United; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; UNITE HERE Local 5; Hawaii Construction Alliance; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1260, AFL-CIO; Hawaii State Teachers Association; IMUAlliance; Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; and numerous individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the University of Hawaii System, Department of Budget and Finance, and Office of Collective Bargaining.

 

     Your Committees find that graduate students perform a variety of teaching and research functions that are necessary and vital to the overall strength and accomplishments of a successful university.  At research universities, such as the University of Hawaii at Manoa, graduate students are in the trenches, collaborating on research with faculty members that often leads to innovative ideas.

 

     Your Committees further find that disparities exist between actual salaries and benefits provided to graduate student assistants at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and comparable institutions across the United States.  Budget shortfalls have increased class size and workload, which has increased the burden on the University of Hawaii's graduate student assistants.  Graduate student assistants at the University of Hawaii are not currently authorized to organize to advocate for their own employment rights.  This measure allows for the establishment of a graduate student assistants union that would allow for fair advocacy for graduate student assistant members.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2585, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2585, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Labor,

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair

 

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair