State delays furloughs with federal relief aid on horizon
Furloughs were scheduled to begin Jan. 1; no new date set
Gov. David Ige announced Wednesday that furloughs for state employees will be delayed thanks to a $900 billion federal relief package that will help cover vaccine efforts.
The furloughs were set to go into effect Jan. 1 with the state staring down a massive budget shortfall in the coming years. In a letter sent to state employees Wednesday afternoon, Ige said the state had been waiting months to see if Congress would provide additional federal funds to help address the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts in Hawaii.
While a bipartisan bill passed Monday by Congress and awaiting the president’s signature does not provide funding to state and local governments for revenue shortfall, it does cover COVID-related measures that the state would have to pay for otherwise, such as vaccine distribution, testing, education and other efforts, according to the Governor’s Office.
With the promise of federal aid on the horizon, Ige decided Wednesday to delay the furloughs but said he did not have a start date because the situation was still fluid.
“I know the uncertainty makes things difficult for you and your families,” Ige said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. “We are continuing to monitor the latest information and will provide an update as soon as we can.”
He added that with the first vaccines going out, “I’m hopeful we can limit the number of new cases and see our revenues pick up soon.”
“Nevertheless, the impact to the state’s budget has been severe, and economists predict it will take years to recover,” Ige said. “I anticipate that permanent and ongoing changes must be made to state government and ask your help in creating a more resilient way to serve the people of Hawaii.”
The state Department of Education, which had planned to start furloughs on Jan. 4 and Feb. 12, told employees in an email Wednesday that the Jan. 4 furlough day will now return as a work day to prepare for the second semester. Whether the Feb. 12 and other furlough days are revised depends on if President Donald Trump approves a relief bill.
“While this is a positive development made possible through Congressional action, it is expected to be a temporary reprieve,” the DOE said. “The state is still facing severe budget challenges and we anticipate labor savings will still be required of state agencies in future fiscal years.”
The Hawaii State Teachers Union, which filed a labor complaint over the furloughs last week, expressed support for the decision Wednesday.
“HSTA is happy that Governor Ige has decided to delay furloughs,” HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said in a statement via the union’s website. “We believe with Congress passing the stimulus package, which includes $200 million for Hawaii public schools, there is more than enough funding to avoid school furloughs altogether.”
HSTA will discuss the latest developments and answer questions during a livestream at 4 p.m. Monday on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Hawaii StateTeachersAssociation/ and on YouTube at www. youtube.com/c/HawaiiState TeachersAssociation. Viewers can ask questions during the live session or submit them directly at www.hsta.org/contact. ■ Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.