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HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
Author: Kristina Lum
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📖 Dive into the latest issue of the Public Employee!✨
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HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
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🚨Report your THP payment issues to us.
TEMPORARY HAZARD PAY
Report Issues with THP Payment
Submissions are due 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 24.
Aloha Subscriber,
Ever since the City & County of Honolulu began issuing temporary hazard pay checks on Dec. 17, we’ve received reports of employees who did not receive a check, inaccurate payment amounts, discrepancies in deductions and other problems.
We’ve sent this letter to Mayor Rick Blangiardi demanding to know how and when this will be remedied.
If you or someone you know are eligible for THP and have an issue, please report it to us by filling out a form. The deadline to submit is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. This will help us get a better understanding of the types of THP discrepancies and how many are affected by the city’s oversight.
Stay tuned for more updates on this issue. Rest assured, we’ll continue to fight tooth and nail until all those eligible for THP get what’s owed to them. Mahalo for staying #HGEAStrong throughout this battle.
ETM Wine Tours
Get a special early booking rate on the August 2026 Greece to Italy wine cruise hosted by Robert Young Estate Winery.
Apply today! HGEA Scholarships
Three scholarships, one simple application. Deadline: Jan. 20, 2026.
FOLLOW US
Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.
If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at
(808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.
This message was sent to email@example.com from eblast@hgea.org
HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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HGEA Endorses Mayor Richard Bissen
2026 ELECTION ENDORSEMENT
Mayor Richard Bissen
For Maui County Mayor
Citing an exemplary level of positive collaboration between Mayor Richard Bissen’s administration and the union, HGEA’s Board of Directors is throwing its support behind Bissen’s re-election.
Bissen’s administration has shown a willingness to resolve grievances in a prompt and fair manner, and keeps an open-door policy for negotiations with him and members of his cabinet.
This attitude from an employer is refreshing, and it has allowed us to achieve agreements on free 75/25 medical coverage options for county employees, ease the way to distribute and resolve issues with temporary hazard pay and reprice engineers.
After the worst natural disaster to hit our community in a generation, Bissen faced impossible circumstances head-on, helping Maui rise from the ashes of the wildfires. The strides he’s made during the recovery efforts along with a genuine commitment to partner with unions so working families can thrive on Maui give us faith that he will carry this momentum over to his second term.
ETM Wine Tours
Get a special early booking rate on the August 2026 Greece to Italy wine cruise hosted by Robert Young Estate Winery.
Apply today! HGEA Scholarships
Three scholarships, one simple application. Deadline: Jan. 20, 2026.
FOLLOW US
Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.
If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at
(808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.
This message was sent to email@example.com from eblast@hgea.org
HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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📢 Your input is needed! DOE Standard Practice 7400 Series
CONSULTATION
DOE Standard Practice 7400 Series
Share your feedback by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22.
Aloha Subscriber,
The state Department of Education is proposing changes to its Standard Practice 7400 Series that covers the management, reporting and sharing of department data in compliance with regulatory requirements.
They have provided HGEA with information on the proposed practices for the purpose of consultation.
These practices apply to all DOE employees, so we are gathering feedback to share on their behalf.
Submit Your Comments
Should you have any questions, comments or concerns after reviewing the material below, please submit it to DOESP7400SeriesFeedback@hgea.org no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22.
Hawaii Pacific University Economics Course
This spring, HPU will be offering a free online economics PD course available exclusively for HGEA members.
Apply today! HGEA Scholarships
Three scholarships, one simple application. Deadline: Jan. 20, 2026.
FOLLOW US
Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.
If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at
(808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.
This message was sent to email@example.com from eblast@hgea.org
HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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Key Impacts of the So-Called Big Beautiful Bill on Retirees
In July, the Big Beautiful Bill became law and, as you’ll see, the effects are anything but beautiful. AFSCME has analyzed the key impacts on retirees and identified the following areas of concern:
- Medicare Cuts — Increases prescription drug costs by exempting more drugs from Medicare drug price negotiation and potentially triggers $500 billion in Medicare cuts.
- Catastrophic Health Care Cuts — Causes 15 million people to lose coverage due to cuts in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage and will result in cuts in Medicaid coverage, increases in private plan costs and reduced access to care.
- Big Cuts in Food Assistance — Makes significant cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that could affect seniors directly and indirectly.
- Benefit Cuts for Early Retirees — Results in some pre-65 retirees losing Medicaid and SNAP benefits and causes big increases in their ACA marketplace health premiums.
- Temporary Tax Cuts for Some Retirees — Gives a temporary, four-year tax deduction for some people 65 and older with incomes below certain levels.
- Faster Social Security Trust Fund Depletion — Accelerates the date at which the Social Security Trust Fund is exhausted by six months.
- Back-door Social Security Privatization — Creates private individual accounts that could be used to privatize Social Security in the future.
For more details, refer to the AFSCME’s issue fact sheet for retirees.
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❓Do you have an idea that should become law? KL Test
HAWAII WORKS BEST WHEN WE DO
Stars of the State Judiciary
HGEA Members Honored for Service In Hawaii’s Courts
Before his retirement, one of the last acts of Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald was to present awards to Hawaii State Judiciary employees who have distinguished themselves through exceptional service and accomplishments. From outstanding case management to diligent record keeping, this year’s awardees are dedicated to maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of the Judiciary.
Among the more than 20 honorees from HGEA is recent retiree Michele “Maile” Holt, pictured above, who received the Meritorious Service Award. Holt served as a circuit court clerk II and was a Unit 3 member since 2003.
Everyday our members are proving that Hawaii really does work best when we do.
FIGHTING FOR YOU
Do you have an idea
that should become law?
Submit your legislative proposals by Oct. 19.
After securing major wins in this year’s legislative session like requiring the state to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees from work-related civil lawsuits, HGEA’s political action committees have begun planning for the upcoming 2026 legislative session.
This is your chance to let us know if you have an idea for a new law or how to improve a current one.
Submit your proposal for consideration by Sunday, Oct. 19.
UH OUTREACH COLLEGE
Legislative Advocacy for Labor Course
Course runs from Oct. 21 to 25
Join this 10-hour continuing education course to get a practical introduction to legislative advocacy for labor and community leaders. Participants will gain hands-on experience in researching Hawaii Revised Statutes, interpreting statutory and legislative language, and preparing effective written and oral testimony. The course culminates in a role-play hearing where participants present testimony in a simulated committee setting.
Course is hybrid begining Oct. 21 online and culminating in-person on Oct. 25.
Mestmaker Open Enrollment
Now through Oct. 31, enroll in Critical Illness and Term Life insurance plans available exclusively for HGEA members.
Scholarship Applications Now Open
Kendall, Okata and Union Strong Scholarship applications are due by Tuesday, Jan. 20
FOLLOW US
Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.
If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at
(808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.
This message was sent to email@example.com from eblast@hgea.org
HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
