HILO — University of Hawaii graduate assistants could have the option to unionize under legislation moving through the Legislature.
Senate Bill 406, introduced by state Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, and companion House Bill 1277, introduced by state Rep. Justin Woodson, D-Maui, would allow graduate student assistants employed by the UH to collectively bargain.
House Resolution 18, introduced by House Rep. Joy San Buenaventura, D-Puna, and House Concurrent Resolution 39, would call for a confidential vote among UH graduate assistants to see whether the majority of them wants to become unionized employees.
The vote would be conducted with assistance from the Hawaii Labor Relations Board, which normally would oversee a vote among private sector employees wishing to unionize. San Buenaventura said her resolution is meant to give applicable grad students the option to choose.
According to the UH, 14 of 1,209 grad assistants systemwide are at based at UH-Hilo. Among them is Nicole Fernandez, a student assistant in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Program.
Fernandez said she’d be in favor of unionizing because she likes the idea of “having someone speak on our behalf and for our employment.”
“For a lot of graduate students, having a job outside school is really difficult,” she said. “Our main focus is thesis work, and that takes up a lot of our time. Having a job (within the program is a way to) alleviate some of the expenses we have to pay like rent and health insurance.”
The UH opposes the concept altogether, however, stating in testimony about the bills that operational expenses would increase if graduate assistants unionized and “the lines between students and employees” would blur.
“First and foremost, graduate student assistants are students first and employees second,” the UH’s testimony reads.
As of Monday, HB 1277 had cleared a second reading by the House Committee on Higher Education and the House Committee on Labor &Public Employment. It was awaiting a hearing in the House Committee on Finance. SB 406 was awaiting a second reading in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
Both House resolutions had been offered and referred to committees on Monday but no hearings were scheduled.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.