Unions are concerned about vaccine mandate for workers

Groups say they wanted to discuss matters with governor first

Hawaii unions Thursday were concerned about the "hardline" position taken by Gov. David Ige and county mayors over the new mandate that could jeopardize the jobs of state and county workers if they refused to be vaccinated.

The unions said they sought and were denied a chance to talk with Ige before his order was made.

Ige early Thursday afternoon announced his latest emergency proclamation that requires state and county workers -- including police officers, firefighters, teachers and adult corrections officers -- to get the vaccine. He cited the high case counts and hospitalizations as reasons for the mandate. On Thursday, Hawaii saw 655 confirmed and probable cases, the highest daily total since the pandemic began, health officials said.

Those unwilling to comply could be terminated and employees who cannot provide proof of vaccination by Aug. 16 will be subject to regular COVID-19 testing, Ige said during a news conference. Procedures for vaccines, testing and exemptions will vary per entity.

Unions during a news conference that followed the governor's announcement said they had approached the state on Monday, even before knowing of a possible mandate, to initiate discussion about the matter, but were denied.

Randy Perreira, executive director of HGEA, the union that includes school principals and professional and scientific employees, said that unions understand that this is about the public health and they will "continue to encourage our employees that we represent that getting the vaccine is in the best interest for all."

But Perreira added that there are some employees who may have different reasons for not being vaccinated, such as medical, religious or personal reasons.

"In those instances, we were prepared to work with the employers to somehow find a way to address those issues," he said.

"It's sad that here we are expressing such willingness, only to see the governor and the mayors take a hard line position, take this or leave this, your job can be threatened if your choose not to get this vaccine. It's a most unfortunate circumstance when we already expressed a willingness to work with them," said Perreira.

He added that none of the unions have documents from the administration that would define exemptions, such as qualifiers for a religious exemptions, or outline a process for physicians to submit validation when someone is unable to get vaccinated due to health reasons.

Perreira and other union leaders said clarity and details were lacking in the governor's announcement and that they would have liked to work with the governor beforehand to find answers.

Liz Ho, administrator for UPW AFSCME Local 646, acknowledged that some employees in her union "may" leave their jobs due to the mandate.

"That's their right, their option to decide if that's the route they want to take. No one has expressed that to me as of today, so we are just waiting to see. I don't know," said Ho, whose union includes adult corrections officers.

In a joint statement from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, HGEA, UPW AFSCME, State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, University of Hawaii Professional Assembly and the Hawaii Firefighters Association, the unions said they "will continue to fight for open discussions about these important decisions that affect public employees, our government operations and our community."

"The emergency proclamation will impact our members' working conditions and the employer must bargain these impacts with the appropriate collective bargaining units," the statement said. "Details on how tests will be administered, how results will be kept confidential, and how the state will fund this mandate will need to be negotiated with the state and we look forward to having those discussions right away."

Some public sector workers were also not pleased with the mandate, with some Maui County first responders expressing anger over the comments about their jobs being at risk if they refuse to be vaccinated. They spoke on the condition of anonymity over concerns of retaliation.

"Anger for sure is the main emotion," said a Maui Police Department employee. "It's so much more than a vaccine, it's the government telling you that you don't have any choice over your own decisions with your own body and your own beliefs. It supersedes the vaccine itself."

A Maui Fire Department employee said that if it comes down to the ultimatum of his firing or the vaccine, he will choose to be terminated. And he said he's not alone in this perspective; dozens of others from the state and county have been calling him nonstop Thursday.

"If it comes down to me not being a firefighter, I won't be a firefighter anymore," he said.

The Maui Police employee said that all co-workers he has spoken to really enjoy their jobs and envisioned being in that role for many more years. 

"It's a surreal thing where you thought, 'Oh, I was gonna be a cop or I was gonna be a firefighter for 20 more years or whatever.' And now you're thinking, 'Maybe that's not gonna happen.' That's the first time that any of us have ever thought that."

"We don't want to get to this point, but most guys are set," he added. "If they're willing to fire guys, then guys are willing to get fired, which would put the state and the county in a crazy situation. Hopefully we don't get to that point."

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com and Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.