HGEA

Author: support@14oranges.com

  • RELEASE: Lifeguards Would Go — From Rescues to Winning “The Eddie”

    RELEASE: Lifeguards Would Go — From Rescues to Winning “The Eddie”

    HONOLULU – Luke Shepardson, 27-year-old North Shore native, started his day at the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational on-duty with his fellow Water Safety Officer lifeguards and Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) members.

    Shepardson would later win the competition before humbly excusing himself to finish his shift after an interview with KHON2 News, “Brah, I gotta get back to the (lifeguard) tower … I gotta get back to the tower and make sure everyone’s OK until the end of the day.”

    A rare surf competition that is only held under specific conditions, “The Eddie” honors fabled big wave-surfer and lifeguard, Eddie Aikau, who went missing at sea after attempting to swim to shore and get help for the crew of the capsized Hokule’a.

    The “Eddie Would Go” slogan and surf competition keep the memory of Aikau alive who, true to his profession as a lifeguard, would brave stormy seas and big waves to save lives.

    The spirit of the lifeguard seemed to permeate competition day, with Water Safety Officer lifeguards busy performing rescues and protecting the crowds of thousands who squeezed onto the cliffs overlooking Waimea Bay or on the shore, resulting in a few close calls when waves washed in and swept spectators into the water.

    Overall, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported 103 rescues and 12,090 preventative actions on the North Shore and West side, with the majority occurring at Waimea Bay. This included a startling incident where lifeguards responded to a wave sweeping a baby under a North Shore home.

    “I want to extend congratulations to Luke Shepardson on his historic win,” said HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira. “This illustrates the high caliber of talent that we have within the ranks of public workers. Our Water Safety Officers dedicate their lives to protect the public at great risk to themselves. HGEA is proud to represent these hardworking lifeguards who have proved time and again that they ‘would go.’”

  • RELEASE: Maui THP Arbitration Award

    RELEASE: Maui THP Arbitration Award

    HGEA Wins Temporary Hazard Pay Arbitration Award

    Hawaii Government Employees Association, the state’s largest union, announces its win in a long-standing dispute with the County of Maui over temporary hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    With this arbitration decision, over 1,300 HGEA bargaining unit members employed by the County of Maui are entitled to temporary hazard pay compensation of up to 25% of their base salary for the duration of Governor Ige’s emergency proclamation from March 4, 2020 to March 25, 2022.

    “This award validates our belief that what our government workforce did during the COVID-19 global pandemic was truly extraordinary. Our members sacrificed their health, and quite frankly, their families’ safety, to show up at work each and every day. They are not just essential workers, they are our social safety net and they kept Hawaii afloat during this unprecedented crisis,” said HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira.

    HGEA is still in the grievance process with other jurisdictions over temporary hazard pay but believes that Maui’s decision is a positive sign. “This is a precedent setting award,” said Perreira. “We look forward to resolving similar grievances with other jurisdictions so that our members can move forward and focus on serving our community.”

    -pau-

    Media Contact:

    Michele Kurihara-Klein
    Legislative/Communications Officer, HGEA
    Direct: 808-543-0093
    mkurihara@hgea.org

    Kristina Lum
    Communications Specialist, HGEA
    Direct: 808-543-0063
    klum@hgea.org

  • Hawaii’s largest workers union endorses Sylvia Luke for Lieutenant Governor

    Hawaii’s largest workers union endorses Sylvia Luke for Lieutenant Governor

    Hawaii’s largest public workers union announced Tuesday that it is endorsing Sylvia Luke for lieutenant governor.

    The Hawaii Government Employees Association said Luke — who currently serves in the state House and is the chair of the Finance Committee — understands the critical role of government employees.

    “Hardworking, dedicated, thankless and an individual that I know to be very capable to help lead our state as we transition and evolve to get to a better place in this post-pandemic world,” said Randy Perreira, executive director of HGEA.

    The union said when the pandemic hit, she ensured schools were functional and volunteered with members to take calls in the unemployment center.

    “It is a great honor to know that the largest employee union in our state is an ally in the ongoing effort to improve the lives of all who live here,” Luke said.

    In the run for lieutenant governor, Luke is up against former lawmakers Jill Tokuda, Ikaika Anderson and Ron Menor, and business leaders Sherry Menor-McNamara and Keith Amemiya.

  • HGEA endorses Sylvia Luke for Lieutenant Governor

    HGEA endorses Sylvia Luke for Lieutenant Governor

    On March 22, the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) announced its endorsement for Lieutenant Governor in the upcoming election.

    Surrounded by dozens of supporters, HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira declared the organization’s support for House Representative Sylvia Luke of District 25. He said Luke shares the same values as them and strongly believes her knowledge, expertise and experience will help Hawaii evolve to a post pandemic state.

    Perreira said during the pandemic, Luke stepped up and served multiple roles like state funding, education and even volunteered at the HGEA to help with calls of unemployment.

    Justin Lam, the State Political Action Committee Chairman at HGEA, also spoke at the announcement. He said Luke is the epitome of servant leadership and what our state desperately needs.

    “It’s a great honor to know that the largest employee union in our state is an ally in our ongoing effort to improve the lives of all who live here in Hawaii,” said Luke. “I’m proud to stand with all of you as we work collaboratively with the governor to pursue the brighter future for all of us. Thank you all.”

    https://www.kitv.com/news/local/hgea-endorses-sylvia-luke-for-lieutenant-governor/article_b1c888da-aa57-11ec-afd2-5f31c6344d4b.html

  • City Workers exposed to COVID face deadline for seeking hazardous duty pay

    City employees face a Friday deadline to apply for hazardous duty pay if they were exposed to COVID-19.

    Under their union contract, some city employees ― like lifeguards and Board of Water Supply employees ― can be eligible for a 15 or 25% pay boost for COVID-related hazard pay. But Honolulu firefighters and police have separate hazard pay rules that don’t include exposure to COVID.

    “The City and County determined upfront they recognized that COVID-19 is a hazard,” said Randy Perreira, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

    “They’re now accepting claims from individual employees to determine what level of exposure (they) may have had.”

    One Board of Water supply employee said he and some of his co-workers should be eligible because there have been clusters at the office and they have had plenty of public contact.

    “If you’re reading a meter, many, many, many times nobody wore masks,” said BWS investigator Korky Gallagher. “When they came out to us, we had to actually get in our cars and leave.”

    Honolulu has given workers who think they’ve been exposed until this Friday to fill out an application.

    Other counties have taken different approaches. On Maui, for example, an arbitrator recently overturned the county’s argument that no workers were at risk to COVID.

    https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/03/15/city-workers-exposed-covid-face-deadline-seeking-hazardous-duty-pay/