The governor's chief of staff would gain a similar amount, as would deputies and assistants. Admittedly, state executives have not received a payraise in 10 years. Admittedly, we have to offer competitive salaries to keep executives from leaving for more profitable work in the private sector. But raises that total as much as 29 percent for some execs are way overboard. This proposal seems like an awfully liberal raise when one considers that unions like the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, the Hawai'i State Teachers Association and the Hawai'i Government Employees Association have still not negotiated acceptable contracts.
Some moderation is needed here.
Our economic climate is not such where it is prudent to award such raises to officials who are already highly paid. But since we are not in the position to do so, some fairness must be exercised. There are many public sector employees that deserve raises. We urge Cayetano to withdraw his proposal to increase these wages until a more reasonable offer can be made to the unions still fighting for salary increases. Ka Leo welcomes your questions and comments.