No New Talks Planned in Strikes as Hawaii Campuses Stay Closed
Teachers and university professors picketed for a second day Friday, shutting down public education for Hawaii’s 180,000 schoolchildren and 42,000 college students, with no new talks scheduled.
The two strikes by 13,000 teachers and 3,100 university faculty members are believed to mark the first time labor trouble has paralyzed an entire state’s public education system.
Honolulu biology teacher Jackie Thuener said her only paycheck now comes from her second job--working part time at a dog kennel.
“All teachers I know have some other source of income. You cannot live on a teacher’s salary here,” she said.
Hawaii teacher salaries, which average about $40,400, are 18th in the nation in terms of average salary but come in last when that salary is adjusted for cost of living, according to the American Federation of Teachers.
The Hawaii teachers’ union is seeking raises totaling 22% over four years, retroactive to July 1999. The University of Hawaii professional union, which represents faculty members at 10 campuses, is seeking raises of 13% over two years.
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