The preliminary settlement is retroactive to October 1990. They keep our military bases running, deliver the mail, fight drug trafficking, make sure seniors receive their Social Security checks, and perform countless other services we take for granted. These folks are our friends and neighbors. I m very pleased they ll finally receive the benefits they ve been earning for more than a decade.
Federal jobs are important to the state s economy.
Their pay has a ripple effect that benefits tens of thousands of people in retail and elsewhere in the private sector, so this is good news for everyone in Hawaii. The five lawsuits subject to the prelinary settlement arose from a dispute over the calculation of non-foreign COLAs. Federal employees contended that factors used by the government in calculating COLAs resulted in lower rates than were warranted by high living costs in the affected states and territories. Under the preliminary settlement, employees covered by the agreement will receive 25 percent COLA for Oahu, 16.5 percent for Hawaii, 23.5 percent for Kauai, and 23.75 for Maui. Current COLA rates are 25 percent for Oahu, 15.0 percent for Hawaii, and 22.5 percent for Kauai and Maui.