Rally Bolsters Hawaiian Public Workers
5,000 support pay raise and vow to fight privatization.
“The rally was a real boost for us,” says Wayne Fujikane, of the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA)/AFSCME Local 152. “It was awesome.”
And they were awesome. All 5,000 AFSCME Convention-goers and Hawaiian public employees, crowded together on the state capitol grounds to support Hawaii’s public workers on Workers Appreciation Day, as proclaimed by Gov. Ben Cayetano (D).
After the crowd was entertained with jokes and Hawaiian love songs, the hardships facing public workers were revealed and the serious business of the rally began.
First, Kamaki Kanahele, a kahu, which in Hawaiian means a minister, read Cayetano’s proclamation for the day, noting the sacrifices made by public workers: deferred pay raises, pay lags, 2,000 layoffs, “doing more with less.”
Then, referring to the contract his administration signed last year with HGEA, but which is as yet unfunded by the state legislature, Cayetano promised, “We will make good on your contract. Come the next legislative session, there will be money to fund these pay raises.” Cayetano noted the state ended its fiscal year with a greater surplus than expected because state workers have been so productive.
President McEntee noted that “We brought our Convention to Hawaii to help our brothers and sisters in the HGEA, the United Public Workers (UPW)/AFSCME Local 646 and East-West Center/AFSCME Local 928.” Hawaii, unlike other states, is greatly affected by the Asian economic crisis.
Hawaii’s economic troubles have lingered for about seven years, precipitating the delayed funding of the state workers’ contract by the legislature. Meanwhile, the county and municipal workers represented by UPW are fighting privatization. AFSCME has over 50,000 members and retirees in Hawaii, representing a greater percentage of the workforce than in any other state.
“We need to tell the legislature,” McEntee told the crowd, “that a contract is a contract; a deal is a deal. And we have a long memory — at least as long as November.”
Secretary-Treasurer Lucy told state legislators that, “In coming here, we’ve shown the AFSCME spirit, our commitment to equity, justice and dignity for state workers.”
Assuring Hawaiian workers that they have the support of all AFL-CIO affiliates in their struggle was AFL-CIO Pres. John Sweeney.
HGEA Exec. Director Russell Okata, who is also an International vice president, and Gary Rodrigues, state director of UPW, both expressed their enthusiasm for the AFSCME show of support for public-sector workers.
By Catherine Barnett Alexander
