STAND. COM. REP. NO.  89

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 553

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 553 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow graduate students that are employed by the University of Hawaii to collectively bargain.

Hawaii Government Employees Association; Hawaii State Teachers Association; University of Hawaii Graduate Student Organization; UH Student Caucus; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Collective Bargaining, University of Hawaii System, and an individual testified in opposition to this measure.

     Due to concerns raised in your Committee regarding assimilation and expense of incorporating graduate assistants employed by the University of Hawaii into an existing bargaining unit, your Committee recommends the creation of a new bargaining unit to ensure that all salaries and benefits may be tailored to the needs of this particular unit.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Creating bargaining unit (15) for graduate student assistants employed by the University of Hawaii;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2115, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 553, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 553, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Higher Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair