Bill > SB105

This bill removes legislative branch staff from the list of employees who are excluded from collective bargaining units under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 89, effectively granting legislative employees the right to unionize. The bill amends existing law to allow legislative staff to choose whether they want to collectively bargain, noting that this is not a mandatory requirement. It also modifies voting procedures for collective bargaining negotiations by adding the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as voting members in the negotiation process, with each having one vote if they have employees in a particular bargaining unit. The bill provides context by referencing other states like Maine, Oregon, and California that have already granted similar unionization rights to legislative staff, and emphasizes the legislature's belief that allowing employees to participate in decision-making can lead to more effective and responsive government operations. The legislation is rooted in the state constitutional right to organize for collective bargaining and aims to extend these protections to legislative staff who were previously excluded from such benefits.

Labor and Employment

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=105&year=2026