STAND. COM. REP. NO. 332

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1572

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 1572 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:

(1) Create a separate bargaining unit (16) for City and County Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees; and

(2) Recategorize City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees from bargaining unit (10) into bargaining unit (16).

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO and sixty-six individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of Collective Bargaining. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committees find that City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees are burdened with high call volume, staffing shortages related to recruitment and retention, and work-related trauma. Your Committees believe that a separate bargaining unit for the City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees is critical for addressing the unique challenges they are currently faced with. This measure will help to address the problems these employees experience by creating a separate bargaining unit (16) for City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees and recategorizing City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department employees from bargaining unit (10) into bargaining unit (16).

Your Committees have heard the testimony of the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu expressing concerns regarding the increasing costs and complexities related to establishing, negotiating, arbitrating, and managing another bargaining unit and contract, particularly without added staff and resources. Your Committees find that this issue raises concerns that merit further consideration and request that your Committee on Ways and Means further examine those issues and concerns raised by the testifiers on this measure.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Labor and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1572, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1572, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Labor and Technology,

________________________________ SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair