Big Surprise: Paper Misrepresents Contract Talks

Robert Cavaco, Honolulu Chapter Chair, SHOPO

One of our local publications here in Honolulu, Civil Beat, recently ran a story about SHOPO contract negotiations. A lot of the information the paper printed was twisted to fit its storyline, as opposed to the truth. Many of the references to arbitration decisions are inaccurate. We know that many of our brother and sisters in law enforcement have been victims of inaccurate reporting.

– Robert Cavaco, Honolulu Chapter Chair, SHOPO

Here are some excerpts from the controversial Civil Beat article. You can read the entire piece HERE.

Why The Stakes Are So High In Hawaii Police Union Negotiations

By Nick Grube

The last time Hawaii’s statewide police union negotiated a new pact for nearly 2,800 officers, it blew a $20 million hole in Honolulu’s city budget.

That was in 2013, when an arbitrator awarded across-the-board salary increases of 16.8 percent over four years. Officers also got a bump in “standard of conduct” pay, meaning that so long as they acted professionally and didn’t get arrested they would receive a monthly salary bonus ranging from $2 to $4 for every non-overtime hour worked.

Honolulu officials estimated the deal would cost the city roughly $200 million over the life of the contract.

“That’s a tremendous increase,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said.

Caldwell stands to find out soon enough, along with the other three mayors on Maui, Hawaii and Kauai counties. The current SHOPO collective bargaining agreement is set to expire June 30, and the terms of a new contract could be announced any day.

Money is far from the only potential issue on the table. County police departments are looking to initiate or increase their use of body cams, and SHOPO has argued that this shouldn’t happen without its approval.

Meanwhile, a state senator has urged Gov. David Ige and the counties to negotiate a better arbitration procedure for when police officers are disciplined after Civil Beat reported recently on how hard it is to fire bad cops in Hawaii.

Much of the focus of collective bargaining is on the cost of the new contracts. Taxpayers want to know what the deal will cost them, and often county and state officials must make cuts to other government services to accommodate the pay raises and benefit perks.