Police union approves COVID hazard pay settlement
Members of the Honolulu police officers union overwhelmingly voted to accept a COVID-19 hazard pay settlement with the city worth more than $30 million with initial payouts of $20, 000 or more by June 30.
In an email to members obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers' state board of directors detailed the audited and certified results of the ratification vote for the 'Tentative Negotiated Hazard Pay Settlement Agreement.'
Of the 946 votes cast, there were 890 in support of the settlement, 49 opposed and seven blank votes. The number of eligible SHOPO Honolulu chapter voters was 1, 653.
'In order for the agreement to go into effect, it now must be ratified by the City Council. The agreement is on the City Council's agenda for its next meeting on Feb. 26, ' read a note to members from Robert Cavaco, a lieutenant with the Honolulu Police Department and SHOPO's president. 'Assuming City Council approval, we will keep you updated as the City's implementation process proceeds. Thank you again to everyone who participated in the vote.'
City officials have set aside about $115 million to settle hazard pay claims and grievances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. HPD's hazard pay settlement is pending approval by the Hono lulu City Council.
'The ratification vote brings us closer to a settlement for our officers, and we hope that there will be an agreement soon for our civilian employees as well, ' said Honolulu Police Chief Arthur 'Joe ' Logan.
Don 't miss out on what 's happening !
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE !
Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.
The temporary hazard pay period applies to officers who worked from March 5, 2020, to March 5, 2022.
During that two-year period, 721 HPD officers were sidelined after either being infected with COVID-19 or forced to isolate because of exposure, or while experiencing symptoms.
'Although the settlement is subject to City Council approval, the City is pleased to have reached an agreement with SHOPO on hazard pay for the essential services provided by our Honolulu Police Department during COVID-19, ' said city Managing Director Michael D. Formby in a statement to the Star-Advertiser. 'We thank them for their public service during this critical period.'
The temporary negotiated settlement agreement covers eligible Tier 1 employees at 15 % of the officer's base pay and will pay 80 % by June 30.
The remaining 20 % of the payout will be converted to vacation hours.
In 2022, SHOPO asked for pay for officers in all counties.
On Maui, county officials settled SHOPO's Maui chapter's grievance for about $13 million in February 2024. The Maui settlement covers officers employed between March 4, 2020, and March 25, 2023.
Overtime worked during the pandemic is based on an officer's base pay rate. Officers who retired and are eligible will receive 100 % of their hazard payout by June 30 under the terms of the agreement.
City officials agreed to convert the vacation credit to vacation hours by dividing the dollar value of an employee's vacation credit by the hourly rate of pay as set forth in the salary schedule.
The city did not want to carry a deficit into the next budget cycle. The deferred cash obligation ensures that won't happen.
If an officer leaves city employment, the unused temporary hazard pay vacation credit will be 'paid to the employee in cash at the employee's hourly rate of pay as of the date the employee retired or separated from employment.'
The hazard pay vacation hours 'shall not be counted towards the annual vacation accrual maximum ' in the SHOPO collective bargaining agreement, but 'shall still be subject to the same terms and conditions applicable to use of vacation benefits generally, ' including blackout dates, policies regarding resolution of scheduling conflicts and when multiple employees submit vacation requests for the same date.
The hazard pay vacation hours cannot be forced on an officer who may cash out 50 % of the hazard vacation pay one year after the date the agreement is finalized, which SHOPO estimates to be Feb. 26.
An officer may sell back all of the hazard vacation pay two years after the Council approves the agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, a police officer who earns an hourly rate of pay of $32.81 would earn $136, 490 over that two-year period and be eligible for $20, 473 in hazard pay and $5, 906 in overtime, for a total of $26, 379.
An HPD lieutenant would earn $173, 514 in the two years covered by the agreement and be eligible for $33, 535.
The projections are based on the possible 4, 160 hours of work time and 1, 200 overtime hours an officer could work during the two-year period covered by the agreement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Standoff with troops in Los Angeles reignites old feud as Newsom resists Trump's immigration raids
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was earlier this year that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was making nice with President Donald Trump as he sought help for his wildfire-battered state and moderating his approach ahead of a potential bid for the White House. But now the gloves are off after Trump took the extraordinary step of federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles over Newsom's objections and the governor responded by suing the administration, alleging abuse of power that marked an 'unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.' The escalating clash pits the leader of the Republican Party against a Democrat with ambitions of leading his own party, with a striking backdrop of a domestic troop deployment meant to control a city in unrest and now to assist in arresting migrants — the centerpiece of the president's agenda. For Trump, it's another chance to battle with Newsom, a frequent foil who leads a heavily Democratic state the president has long criticized. And for Newsom, the feud has handed him a national platform as a beleaguered Democratic Party seeks a leader able to resist Trump. 'He has shown he's not going to be intimidated, and we're all for that,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said of Newsom on Wednesday. Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, a former California resident, said Newsom's motivations for taking on Trump are clear. 'This is all about Gavin Newsom running for president in 2028, and what he is hoping is that becoming the face of a resistance to Trump is going to jog him to victory in Democratic primaries,' he said in his podcast 'The Ben Shapiro Show.' Trump wages a war against California Trump has long been a foe of California, which overwhelmingly rejected him in all three of his presidential campaigns. Over the years, Trump has threatened to intercede in the state's long-running homeless crisis, vowed to withhold federal wildfire aid as political leverage in a dispute over water rights, called on police to shoot people robbing stores and warned residents 'your children are in danger' because of illegal immigration. As a candidate in 2023, Trump said California was once a symbol of American prosperity but is 'becoming a symbol of our nation's decline.' 'This is not a great state anymore. This is a dumping ground,' Trump said at the time. 'The world is being dumped into California. Prisoners. Terrorists. Mental patients.' Newsom would learn to balance the dueling imperatives of a governor who needs to work with the federal government with being one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures. As governor-elect, Newsom joined Trump in November 2018 as the then-president viewed wildfire damage in Paradise, California, and they pledged to put aside political differences to help the community recover. He was also overly complimentary of the Trump administration's assistance to California during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, praising Trump's 'focus on treatments' for the virus and thanking him for sending masks and gloves to his state. But Newsom was also a top surrogate for Democrats in the 2024 campaign and frequently warned of the consequences of Trump's return to the White House. Trump and Newsom make nice over wildfire catastrophe There was a handshake and a warm pat on the back. Newsom was there on the tarmac in Los Angeles in January, welcoming Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who had traveled west to survey the damage from the deadly wildfires in Southern California. Then they spoke to reporters together, pledging cooperation to rebuild the area and appreciating each other's presence. 'You were there for us during COVID. I don't forget that,' Newsom said. 'And I have all the expectations that we'll be able to work together to get this speedy recovery.' Trump added: 'We will. We're going to get it done.' Newsom also traveled to Washington in February to press Trump and lawmakers for more federal wildfire relief. The governor called his meeting with Trump 'productive' and one that was marked with a 'spirit of collaboration and cooperation.' The cordial attitude was part of Newsom's unmistakable appeal to the center, painting himself as a pragmatist to reach out to those who had fled from a party that had just lost all battleground states in the 2024 presidential election. Newsom spoke to conservative allies of Trump on a new podcast the governor billed as a way for Democrats to learn from the political successes of Trump's 'Make America Great Again' movement. He voiced opposition to transgender athletes participating in female sports while shifting focus away from efforts in Sacramento to 'Trump-proof' California — which Newsom embarked on after Trump's victory in November — as the wildfires raged. In an April interview with YouTube commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Newsom acknowledged Trump's ability to appeal to the public. 'His success is his ability to win every damn news cycle and get us distracted and moving in 25 different directions,' he said. Newsom warns of democracy 'under assault' as Trump sends troops The Democratic governor and Trump have been feuding publicly about the response to protests, with Newsom claiming Trump didn't warn him he'd deploy troops in a Friday phone call and Trump claiming the conversation was about that. Newsom has taunted Trump administration officials with arresting him, and Trump first appeared receptive to the idea and then walked back earlier remarks. After Newsom filed an emergency request in federal court Tuesday to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, he gave a public address accusing Trump of going beyond arresting criminals. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here,' he warned. 'Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Newsom's speech as performative. 'I know Gavin Newsom had a big address to the nation last night — I guess he thought that's what it was for maybe his future political ambitions,' Leavitt said Wednesday. 'But he spoke a lot of words. We haven't seen action.' The filing this week wasn't the first time this year that California had sued the Trump administration. In April, Newsom filed a lawsuit that challenged Trump's authority to impose sweeping tariffs that the governor asserted would inflate prices and inflict billions of dollars in damage to California, which has the nation's largest economy. And California — not just Newsom — continues to be a foil. Just this month, the Trump administration signaled that it intends to cut off federal funding for a long-delayed California high-speed rail project plagued by multibillion-dollar cost overruns. He's threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar transgender students from participating in girls sports. The Justice Department warned districts they could face legal trouble if they don't bar trans athletes from competition. And on Thursday, he's expected to sign a measure blocking California's vehicle emissions rules. ___ Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Blood from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking in Washington contributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. Picks Former Joe Rogan Guest to Advise on Vaccine Safety
One of the eight new members appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to sit on a vaccine advisory panel found national fame with a controversial appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. In an X post on Wednesday, Kennedy announced that he had appointed eight new doctors and researchers to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The expert panel guides the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the Department of Health and Human Services, to make the 'most appropriate selection of vaccines and related agents' to effectively manage vaccine-preventable diseases within the country, per the CDC. Earlier this week, Kennedy fired all 17 previous members of the panel and reinstated eight new ones—a decision he described as a 'major step toward restoring public trust in vaccines.' 'I'm now repopulating ACIP with the eight new members who will attend ACIP's scheduled June 25 meeting,' Kennedy continued. 'The slate includes highly credentialed scientists, leading public health experts, and some of America's most accomplished physicians. All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense. They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations.' One of the eight new members, Dr. Robert Malone, was previously the subject of intense scrutiny—and, in some circles, praise—for conspiracies he touted about the COVID-19 virus and vaccine in a 2021 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. At the time, Dr. Malone argued that parts of the population had been 'hypnotized' by health professionals into believing that their reports and recommendations on COVID-19 were true. He also questioned the severity of the virus and drew comparisons between the COVID-19 vaccine and Nazi medical experiments, per The New York Times. Dr. Malone, who played an early role in mRNA research and claims to be the inventor of the technology, was criticized in an open letter from more than 250 healthcare professionals and researchers following the episode for 'broadcasting misinformation.' 'On Dec. 31, 2021, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), a Spotify-exclusive podcast, uploaded a highly controversial episode featuring guest Dr. Robert Malone (#1757),' the January 2022 open letter to Spotify read. 'The episode has been criticized for promoting baseless conspiracy theories and the JRE has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.' In a 2022 profile for The New York Times, Dr. Malone dismissed fact-checks of his claims as 'attacks' and maintained that he received pushback because anything that questions guidance from institutions like the CDC is quickly labeled as misinformation. Meanwhile, the seven other members Kennedy appointed include: Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, Dr. Martin Kulldorff (who criticized pandemic protocols in 2020), Dr. Retsef Levi, Dr. Cody Meissner, Dr. James Pagano, Dr. Vicky Pebsworth, and Dr. Michael A. Ross.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
New Orleans pushes to legalize police use of ‘facial surveillance'
New Orleans is considering easing restrictions on the police use of facial recognition, weeks after The Washington Post reported that police there secretly relied on a network of AI-powered surveillance cameras to identify suspects on the street and arrest them. According to the draft of a proposed ordinance posted to a city website, police would be permitted to use automated facial recognition tools to identify and track the movements of wanted subjects, missing people or suspected perpetrators of serious crimes — reversing the city's broad prohibition against using facial recognition as a 'surveillance tool.' The proposed rule, which was written by a New Orleans police official, is scheduled for a city council vote later this month, according to a person briefed on the council's plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about them publicly. If the rule passes, New Orleans would become the first U.S. city to formally allow facial recognition as a tool for surveilling residents in real time. In an emailed statement, a police spokesperson said the department 'does not surveil the public,' and that surveillance is 'not the goal of this ordinance revision.' But the word 'surveillance' appears in the proposed ordinance dozens of times, including explicitly giving police authority to use 'facial surveillance.' Many police departments use AI to help them identify suspects from still images taken at or near the scene of a crime, but New Orleans police have already taken the technology a step further. Over the past two years, the department relied on a privately owned network of cameras equipped with facial recognition software to constantly monitor the streets for wanted people and automatically ping an app on officers' mobile phones to convey the names and locations of possible matches, The Post reported last month. In April, after The Post requested public records about this system, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick paused the automated alerts and ordered a review into how officers used the technology and whether the practice violated local restrictions on facial recognition. David Barnes, a New Orleans police sergeant overseeing legal research and planning, who wrote the proposed ordinance, said he hopes to complete the review and share his findings before the city council vote. The facial recognition alerts are still paused, he said Wednesday. There are no federal regulations around the use of AI by local law enforcement. New Orleans was one of many cities to ban the technology during the policing overhauls passed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, with the city council saying it had 'significant concerns about the role of facial recognition technologies and surveillance databases in exacerbating racial and other bias.' Federal studies have shown the technology to be less reliable when scanning people of color, women and older people. New Orleans partly rolled back the restrictions in 2022, letting police use facial recognition for searches of specific suspects of violent crimes, but not for general tracking of people in public places. Each time police want to scan a face, they must send a still image to trained examiners at a state facility and later provide details about these scans to the city council — guardrails meant to protect the public's privacy and prevent software errors from leading to wrongful arrests. Now, city leaders want to give police broad access to the technology with fewer limitations, arguing that automated surveillance tools are necessary for fighting crime. Violent crime rates in New Orleans, like much of the country, are at historic lows, according to Jeff Asher, a consultant who tracks crime statistics in the region. But facial recognition-equipped cameras have proven useful in a few recent high-profile incidents, including the May 16 escape of 10 inmates from a local jail and the New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street that left 14 dead. 'Violent crime is at an all-time low but mass murders and shootings are at an all-time high,' Oliver Thomas, one of two council members sponsoring the ordinance, said in an interview this week. 'This is a tool to deal with some of this mass violence and mass murders and attacks.' After The Post informed Thomas there were just over 300 fatal and nonfatal shootings in New Orleans last year — by far the lowest number in the 14 years the city council has published these statistics on its online crime data dashboard — he acknowledged that shootings are down and partly attributed the decline to his work with young people and ex-offenders. Nora Ahmed, the legal director for the ACLU of Louisiana, said council members are using public concern over recent news to justify the widespread adoption of facial recognition technology, or FRT — a powerful technology with the potential to strip people of their rights. 'In the name of making FRT available for a once-in-a-decade jail break, this bill opens up FRT to being used by federal and state entities, and enterprising local police departments,' Ahmed said in a text message. 'This type of surveillance should not exist in the United States period.' The new ordinance would give police the ability to use 'facial surveillance' and 'characteristic tracking' systems to actively monitor the streets looking for people with warrants or people under investigation. It would require them to continue sharing data about facial searches to the city council and begin reporting details about the software they use and its accuracy. While the ordinance says police cannot use facial surveillance tools to target abortion seekers or undocumented immigrants, Ahmed says those protections are 'paper thin' and worries officers would find ways around them. It's not clear whether New Orleans plans to keep working with Project NOLA, a privately funded nonprofit group that has provided automated facial recognition alerts to officers despite having no contract with the city. Barnes, the police sergeant, said Project NOLA would need to come into a formal data-sharing agreement with the city if it wanted to continue sending automated alerts to officers who have logged into a Project NOLA system to receive them. Under the new ordinance, Project NOLA could also be required to publish information about all of its searches to the city council. Such data reporting could be complicated with a live facial recognition system, in which cameras are constantly scanning every face in their vicinity. With hundreds of cameras potentially scanning thousands of faces a day, Project NOLA or the city could theoretically need to report information about millions of facial recognition scans in each of its quarterly data reports the department is required to provide city council. Bryan Lagarde, Project NOLA's founder, declined to comment this week, saying he was on vacation. New Orleans's embrace of the term 'surveillance' — which appears 40 times in the text of the proposed ordinance — appears at odds with statements made by Kirkpatrick, the city's top police official. In an interview last month, Kirkpatrick said she believes governments should be prevented from surveilling their citizens, especially when they are in public exercising their constitutional rights. 'I do not believe in surveilling the citizenry and residents of our country,' Kirkpatrick said at the time. 'Surveilling is an invasion of our privacy.'
