UPW Legislative Action

Hawaii State Legislative Session of 2009

UPW's Legislative Concerns

These are the current bills that the UPW has provided testimonies.

Senate Bills

Bill No. UPW's Position Measure Title Report Title Description Status UPW's Testimony

SB44

Oppose

RELATING TO THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION

Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Transfer Prior Liabilities Requires (1) department of health to assume all community hospital liabilities accrued up to 6/30/1996; and (2) Hawaii health systems corporation (HHSC) to assume all subsequent liabilities. Clarifies HHSC responsibility for payments into the employees' retirement system funds for its employees. (SD2)

 

Status

 

Testimony

SB63 Support RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION Workers' Compensation; Temporary Total Disability Requires an employer to pay temporary total disability benefits regardless of whether the employer controverts the right to benefits. Specifies that the employee's ability to return to work is to be decided by the employee's treating physician. Convenes a working group. Effective on 7/1/2090 for the convening of the working group; 7/1/2100 if there is no consensus among the working group. (SD2) Status Testimony
SB165 Oppose RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL CAFETERIA WORKERS Education; Cafeteria Workers Removes the requirement that payments to public school cafeteria workers be made over a twelve-month period. (SD2) Status

Testimony

SB518 Oppose RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING Bargaining Units; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Establishes separate bargaining units for the employees of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. Status Testimony
SB688 Support RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT Employment; Worker Retention Establishes job security requirements upon the divestiture of a covered establishment employing 100 or more persons. (SB688 HD1) Status Testimony
SB1073 Oppose RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES Correctional Facility; Smoking Exception Repeals the exception that allows smoking in correctional facilities. Effective 7/1/50. (SD1) Status Testimony
SB1125 Support RELATING TO PROCUREMENT Apprenticeship; Procurement; Public Works Construction Contracts Enacts the responsible construction contractor law for government procurements of construction projects. Provides procurement preference to contractors who are party to a registered apprenticeship agreement. (SD2) Status Testimony
SB1136 Oppose RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Outsource of Services Authorizes Hawaii health systems corporation to out source for services. Status Testimony
SB1137 Oppose RELATING TO HEALTH Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Criminal History Record Checks Authorizes Hawaii health systems corporation to conduct criminal history record checks. (SB1137 HD1) Status Testimony
SB1138 Oppose RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Retirement System; Collective Bargaining Agreements Authorizes the establishment of Hawaii health systems corporation retirement system and a personnel system separate from the state system that allows for collective bargaining agreements. Status Testimony
SB1621 Support RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING Collective Bargaining Provides a union representation privilege to protect the functions of the union as an exclusive bargaining representative to allow the union to perform its role in negotiations and contract enforcement; allows certification of union representatives through a card-check authorization; requires collective bargaining to begin upon union certification; sets certain deadlines for initial collective bargaining agreement procedures and conciliation of disputes; sets civil penalty for unfair labor practices; extends certain authorities to labor organizations representing employees for collective bargaining; allows labor disputes to be defenses against prosecution for certain violations of law. (SD2) Status Testimony
SB1622 Support RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY Retention of Employees; Business Divestiture; Employment Security Requires certain employers to retain employees who were displaced from an employer by divestiture through a transfer of a covered establishment to a new employer for a period of 90 days unless the business is substantially dissimilar or the human resources needs of the business are reduced. (SB1622 HD1) Status Testimony
SB1673 Oppose RELATING TO THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Regional Systems; New Entity Authorizes a facility or regional health care system under the Hawaii health systems corporation to transition into a new legal entity; amends the maintenance of services requirements; requires Hawaii health systems corporation to assume liabilities and debts or other obligations accrued beginning on July 1, 1996; requires commercial health plans to provide a minimum reimbursement level; authorizes special negotiating authority for Hawaii health systems corporation with bargaining units; authorizes criminal history record checks. (SD2) Status Testimony

Testimony

Testimony

House Bills

Bill No. UPW's Position Measure Title Report Title Description Status UPW's Testimony
HB31

Support

RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES Employment; Credit History Prohibited Establishes employer's use of individual's credit history in hiring and termination decisions as an unlawful discriminatory practice. Status Testimony
HB319 Support RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE Family Leave; Notification of Benefits Requires employers to notify employees of their entitlement to family leave, as well as possible adverse impact of taking family leave by posting a notice. (HB319 HD1) Status Testimony
HB694

Oppose

RELATING TO THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION HHSC; Maui Regional Health Care System Transfer Authorizes Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) and the Maui Regional System Board to remove the Maui Regional Health Care System and its facilities from HHSC by transferring regional assets to a legal entity which will finance and continue to provide health care services to Maui. Status Testimony
HB696

Oppose

RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Collective Bargaining Unit Creates a separate collective bargaining unit for certain employees of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. (HB696 HD1) Status Testimony
HB938

Oppose

RELATING TO CAFETERIA WORKERS Cafeteria Workers; Ten-month Employment Period Changes the employment period for cafeteria workers employed on or after July 1, 2009, from twelve to ten months. Status Testimony
HB952 Support RELATING TO LABOR Labor Unions; Private Sector Certifies entities as exclusive representatives without an election where no other representatives are certified as the exclusive bargaining representatives. Requires immediate collective bargaining between parties once entities are certified as exclusive representatives. Effective July 1, 2020. (HB952 HD1) Status Testimony
HB987 Support RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT State Comprehensive Employment Training Program Creates the state comprehensive employment and training program providing subsidized employment for work with a public purpose. Prohibits direct replacement of current employees. Appropriates funds. Takes effect July 1, 2020. (HB987 HD2) Status Testimony
HB1106

Oppose

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT Public Employment; Furloughs Protects the rights of public employees by preserving health, retirement, leave, and other benefits if furloughs are implemented in fiscal years 2009 to 2013. Status Testimony
HB1231

Oppose

RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Transitional Management Team Establishes a transitional management team within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to plan for necessary restructuring to ensure the strength of the state's health care safety net. Effective July 1, 2020. (HB1231 HD1) Status Testimony
HB1372

Oppose

RELATING TO THE TRANSITIONING OF THE REGIONS AND FACILITIES OF HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Regional Systems; New Entity Authorizes a facility or regional health care system under the Hawaii health systems corporation to transition into a new legal entity, including a nonprofit or for-profit corporation, municipal facility, or public benefit corporation. Status Testimony
HB1607

Oppose

RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION Corporate Board Functions; Service and Coordination Group Restructures the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation so the Corporate Board takes on a new role as a service and coordination group to assist the Regional Boards in improving public hospital services. Status Testimony
HB1718

Oppose

RELATING TO EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS EUTF; Medicare Part B Premiums Specifies that the requirement that the State and the counties reimburse retired employees for medicare part B premiums through the employer-union trust fund applies only to the employees who retire prior to 12/31/09. Status Testimony
HB1719

Oppose

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES EUTF; Retirement Prior to Medicare Age; Suspend Coverage Suspends state and county contributions to the EUTF for all state and county employee-beneficiaries who retire after 7/1/09, regardless of date of hire and years of service, if the employee retires before the employee's medicare retirement age. Resumes coverage after medicare retirement age. Allows employee to retain health coverage through the EUTF by paying the respective state or county share of premiums until medicare retirement age. Status Testimony
HB1723

Oppose

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES Employer-Union Health Benefit Trust Fund; Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association Trust; Employer Contributions Makes employer contributions to the employer-union health benefits trust fund non-negotiable under collective bargaining. Establishes employer contributions for active public employees at 55 per cent of monthly cost of the health benefits plan. Status Testimony
HB1725

Oppose

RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND Public Employees' Health Benefits Plan; Exclusion of Prescription Drug Coverage From 07/01/2009 to 06/30/2015: (1) prohibits health benefits plan of the employer-union health benefits trust fund from providing prescription drug coverage; and (2)allows board of trustees to make prescription drug benefits available through drug coverage plans that are paid for entirely by employee-beneficiaries. Status Testimony
HB1726

Oppose

RELATING TO THE HEALTH FUND Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund; Group Life Insurance Prohibition Prohibits the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund from providing group life insurance benefits if any of the premiums are paid by the State or a county. Allows the trust fund to contract with a group life insurer to make available group life insurance benefits to employee-beneficiaries provided that none of the premiums are paid by the State or any county and the insurer pays a fee to the board of trustees. Status Testimony
HB1727

Oppose

RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND Public Employees' Health Benefits Plan; Exclusion of Dental and Vision Coverage Prohibits the health benefits plan of the employer-union health benefits trust fund from providing dental and vision coverage from 07/01/2009 until 06/30/2015. Allows the board of trustees to make dental and vision benefits available to employee-beneficiaries at no cost to the employers. Status Testimony
HB1738

Oppose

RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM Employees' Retirement System; No Benefit Enhancements Deletes the sunset date of 1/2/11 on the prohibition on approving employees' retirement system benefit enhancements while an unfunded accrued liability exists. Status Testimony

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