$70M of hazard pay allocated for Hawaii Island employees
Arbitrator rules State workers are entitled to hazard pay for pandemic work
Mayor Kimo Alameda signed agreements with the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association to 'fulfill his promise to settle hazard pay fairly with all employees.'
Officials said tentative agreements are also being finalized with the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and United Public Workers.
Mayor Alameda said the agreements recognize the hard work of County employees, especially during tough times.
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'Our employees go above and beyond supporting our communities, and we are committed to showing deep respect for their contributions. Importantly, we are also upholding our contractual obligations, ensuring consistency with other jurisdictions, and strengthening our partnerships so that we can move forward together,' Mayor Alameda said.
HFFA President Bobby Lee was one of many who thanked Mayor Alameda for his support of public workers.
'They worked really hard during COVID. They weren't sitting outside. They were actually responding to COVID cases, dealing with COVID people face to face,' Lee said. 'We appreciate everything Mayor Alameda has done to make this happen.'
Check out more news from around Hawaii
County employees will receive 15% hazard pay over two years, which totals about $70 million.
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Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
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Newsom employed a similar strategy when he demolished the Republican-led recall campaign against him in 2021, which the governor portrayed as a 'life and death' battle against 'Trumpism' and far-right anti-vaccine and antiabortion activists. Among California's Democratic-heavy electorate, that message proved to be extremely effective. 'Wake up, America,' Newsom said Thursday at a Los Angeles rally launching the campaign for the redistricting measure. 'Wake up to what Donald Trump is doing. Wake up to his assault. Wake up to the assault on institutions and knowledge and history. Wake up to his war on science, public health, his war against the American people.' Kevin Liao, a Democratic strategist who has worked on national and statewide campaigns, said his D.C. and California-based political group chats had been blowing up in recent days with texts about the moment Newsom was creating for himself. 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