HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	18
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE GRADUATE ASSISTANTS OF the university of Hawai‘i system, with the assistance of the Hawaii labor relations board, to conduct a confidential vote on whether they are in favor of becoming public-sector unionized employees.

 

 

 

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i is not a "Right to Work" state, and once a group has unionized, members cannot opt out; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Labor Relations Board would normally conduct a vote should private sector employees wish to unionize; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is interest by some graduate assistants at the University of Hawai‘i to obtain collective-bargaining rights carved out in Chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     WHEREAS, while the Legislature recognizes that graduate assistants want to be heard, there is a question of whether this is a desire of the majority of the affected graduate assistants in the University of Hawai‘i system; and

 

     WHEREAS, graduate assistants in the University of Hawai‘i system have taken initiative to bring forward measures for consideration relating to unionization of graduate assistants at the University of Hawai‘i and the Legislature finds them, under the advisement of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, to be most capable of polling all potentially affected graduate assistants as to whether granting public sector collective-bargaining rights for graduate assistants reflects the will of the majority of graduate assistants at University of Hawai‘i; now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that graduate assistants in the University of Hawai‘i system are requested to conduct a confidential vote of the graduate assistants within the University of Hawai‘i system with the advisement and assistance of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board on the following questions:

 

     (1)  Do graduate assistants want to collectively bargain their pay, benefits, and other conditions of employment?;

 

     (2)  Are graduate assistants willing to pay mandatory union dues?;

 

     (3)  How will graduate assistants ensure the unit negotiators know and understand the graduate assistants' issues?; and

 

     (4)  What is the objective graduate assistants are trying to achieve?; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Labor Relations Board is requested to advise and assist the graduate assistants of the University of Hawai‘i system to conduct a confidential vote of the graduate assistants of the University of Hawai‘i system on the question of whether to form a union for the purpose of collective bargaining as public employees and to report on the results of the vote; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the graduate assistants, with assistance of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, are requested to report the graduate assistants' findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Graduate Student Organization at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, President of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Student Association, President of the University of Hawai‘i system, Chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, President of the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly, and Chairperson of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Requesting the Graduate Assistants at the University of Hawai'i to Conduct a Confidential Vote Amongst Graduate Assistants.