Negotiations with the State of Hawaii continue until a satisfactory agreement has been reached. Faculty Reps seek reactions to tentative agreements in the PAUs to assure strong backing of the Negotiating Team's efforts. The final negotiated settlement is subject to ratification by faculty vote. Maintenance of Rights While preparing the negotiation of the next contract, UHPA continues to enforce the terms of the current contract and protect the rights of faculty members through the use of UHPA professional staff and legal services, and the training and development of Faculty Reps for each of the campuses. The Faculty Reps are the first persons a faculty member goes to with a question, concern or complaint.
Every effort is made to resolve issues informally.
When this is not possible and the terms of the contract are violated, the union will file a grievance on behalf of the faculty member. UHPA's Grievance Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the final steps in grievance processing. This group of representative faculty meets with the UHPA staff person handling the grievance and prepares recommendations to the Board of Directors advising whether a particular case should be taken to arbitration. Since the terms of faculty employment are governed by many different laws, including the Public Employees' Health Fund, the Employees' Retirement System, and other issues such as worker's compensation, UHPA has established an effective lobbying and government relation program. Change in a vast variety of laws set the university's funding levels, while also establishing the scope of university program offerings.