Bill Text: HI SR50 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The United States Senate To Adopt Senate Resolution 51, "recognizing The Contributions Of Federal Employees And Pledging To Oppose Efforts To Reduce Federal Workforce Pay And Benefits, Eliminate Civil Service Employment Protections, Undermine Collective Bargaining, And Increase The Use Of Non-federal Contractors For Inherently Governmental Activities".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-16 - Referred to JDL, WAM. [SR50 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-SR50-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	50
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES SENATE TO adopt sENATE RESOLUTION 51, "RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND PLEDGING TO OPPOSE EFFORTS TO REDUCE FEDERAL WORKFORCE PAY AND BENEFITS, ELIMINATE CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS, UNDERMINE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, AND INCREASE THE USE OF NON-FEDERAL CONTRACTORS FOR INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES".

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, it is the public policy of the State to promote harmonious and cooperative relations between government and its employees and to protect the public by assuring effective and orderly operations of government; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes, it is the declared policy of the State that the human resource program within each jurisdiction be administered in accordance with the following:

 

     (1)  Equal opportunity for all in compliance with all laws prohibiting discrimination;

 

     (2)  Impartial selection of individuals for public service by means of competitive tests which are fair, objective, and practical;

 

     (3)  Incentives for competent employees within the service, whether financial or promotional opportunities and other performance based group and individual awards that encourage continuous improvement to achieve superior performance;

 

     (4)  Reasonable job security for competent employees and discharge of unnecessary or inefficient employees with the right to grieve and appeal personnel actions;

 

     (5)  Equal pay for equal work shall apply between classes in the same bargaining unit among jurisdictions for those classes determined to be equal through systematic classification of positions based on objective criteria and adequate job evaluation; and

 

     (6)  Harmonious and cooperative relations between government and its employees, including employee organizations representing them, to develop and maintain a well-trained, efficient, and productive work force that utilizes advanced technology to ensure effective government operations and delivery of public services; and

 

     WHEREAS, accordingly, the Legislature finds and declares that any conceivable threat to collective bargaining and the civil service system should be construed as a threat to the health, welfare, and safety of the people of the State of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the recent change in the administration of the federal government threatens collective bargaining rights and the civil service system; and

 

     WHEREAS, evolving budgetary priorities will force the federal government to fundamentally change the way it conducts the people's business; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal government may consider eliminating essential services or provide services in radically different ways due to cutbacks in funding for departments and agencies, including the United States Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency; and

 

     WHEREAS, this change may potentially upset the delicate balance of roles and responsibilities that forges harmonious labor-management relations; and

 

     WHEREAS, as a former state representative and Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, Mazie Hirono fought tirelessly for the underprivileged and consumers throughout the State; and

     WHEREAS, as the United States Senator for Hawaii, Mazie Hirono views developments on the federal level as a harbinger of dangerous times for our Nation and State; and

 

     WHEREAS, on February 6, 2017, Senator Hirono introduced Senate Resolution 51, "Recognizing the contributions of Federal employees and pledging to oppose efforts to reduce Federal workforce pay and benefits, eliminate civil service employment protections, undermine collective bargaining, and increase the use of non-Federal contractors for inherently governmental activities"; and

 

     WHEREAS, joined by Senators Brown, Cardin, Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Booker, Markey, Warren, Carper, Franken, Murray, and Cantwell, Senator Hirono is taking a stand on behalf of Hawaii's people and its Constitution to protect the fundamental right to collective bargaining and the civil service system; and

 

     WHEREAS, the people of the State of Hawaii should stand beside Senator Hirono in this monumental cause; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that the United States Senate is urged to adopt Senate Resolution 51 and protect and preserve collective bargaining rights and the civil service system for harmonious labor-management relations; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, members of the United States Senate, members of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation, and the exclusive bargaining representative of each public-sector bargaining unit in the State of Hawaii.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Civil Service; Collective Bargaining; United States Senate