Hawaiʻi lawmakers last week advanced a bundle of bills earmarking hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two years for raises for unionized state employees. Contracts also call for nearly $1 billion for the following two years.
But some public workers are disappointed or angry at the outcome of this year’s bargaining.
If the mood is a bit sour among the union rank and file, that is partly because of timing. Bargaining wrapped up shortly after the Hawaiʻi Commission on Salaries awarded total raises ranging from 35% to 48% over six years to top state leaders, including the governor and his department heads…