Hawaii Public Employees Escalate Strike

A government workers strike escalated Friday when nearly 6,000 state and county employees walked out.

A third union bargaining unit, made up of professional and scientific workers, joined 10,000 white-collar workers and supervisors who struck the state and its four counties on Monday.

The expansion of the strike forced closure of all recreation centers, gyms and swimming pools in Honolulu, Mayor Frank Fasi said. The strike already closed all public libraries and other services.

Police and firefighters remain on the job.

The state Department of Agriculture advised importers to delay shipments because only a few state inspectors have been declared essential.

The three units have nearly 20,000 members, but 3,800 were declared essential to public health and safety and were ordered to remain on the job.

Federal mediator Frank Schoeppel spent Thursday shuttling between negotiators for employers and the Hawaii Government Employees Assn.

Talks recessed Thursday evening.

“The state has made an offer, the (union) negotiating teams are reviewing the offer, and we will be making our counter at the appropriate time,” the union’s executive director, Russell Okata, said Friday.

Details of the offer weren’t available.

The union is seeking a minimum 8% pay raise over two years while the state and counties have offered 4%.

The new group of strikers includes engineers, accountants, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers and some managers.

Meanwhile, the United Public Workers, which represents state and county blue-collar workers and supervisors, said it would announce Monday results of its contract ratification vote.