HGEA

Author: Malulani Moreno

  • RELEASE: HGEA Demands Action By DOE After Brutal Assault On Moanalua High School Employee

    RELEASE: HGEA Demands Action By DOE After Brutal Assault On Moanalua High School Employee

    The assault on the associate athletic director of Moanalua High School, a Unit 6 member of our union, should be a call to action for the state Department of Education, the Hawaii Attorney General and state lawmakers. This kind of violence against public servants cannot become normalized.

    That’s why HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira yesterday sent Superintendent Keith Hayashi a letter demanding action now.

    “We appreciate that you immediately reacted to the situation,” Perreira said. “Words are easy; however, currently we are demanding to know what steps the department intends to take to prevent such instances from occurring again in the future.”

    Our organization along with the Hawaii State Teachers Association has been sounding the alarm for years about escalating threats against school employees. This incident should prompt DOE to be much more proactive in pushing for harsher criminal penalties for assaulting school employees.

    “HGEA and HSTA have sought passage of such legislation, with the response from the DOE being tepid at best,” Perreira said. “We hope this act of violence will compel the DOE to push hard for greater criminal penalties.”

    HGEA intends to hold DOE’s feet to the fire. It is time they find their spines and stand up to protect its dedicated employees.

    ###

    Media Contacts:

    Malulani Moreno
    Communications Manager
    (808) 543-0024
    mmoreno@hgea.org

  • HGEA Proudly Endorses Mayor Richard Bissen’s Re-election as Maui County Mayor

    HGEA Proudly Endorses Mayor Richard Bissen’s Re-election as Maui County Mayor

    Citing an exemplary level of positive collaboration between Mayor Richard Bissen’s administration and the union, HGEA’s Board of Directors is throwing its support behind Bissen’s re-election.

    “Mayor Bissen has shown a refreshing level of collaboration with our union that makes him stand out from other public-sector employers,” said HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira. “His administration resolves grievances fairly, keeps an open door, and has worked with us to secure much-needed gains in pay and benefits for the working families we represent. His commitment to working people is why HGEA is proud to endorse him for a second term.”

    This attitude from an employer has allowed us to achieve agreements on free 75/25 medical coverage options for county employees, ease the way to distribute and resolve issues with temporary hazard pay, and reprice hard-to-fill job classes, such as engineers.

    After the worst natural disaster to hit our community in a generation, Bissen faced impossible circumstances head-on, helping Maui rise from the ashes of the wildfires. The strides he’s made during the recovery efforts along with a genuine commitment to partner with unions so working families can thrive on Maui give us faith that he will carry this momentum over to his second term.

  • Unit 6’s Sheldon Oshio Leads First “Model Academy with Distinction” Elementary School in the Nation

    Unit 6’s Sheldon Oshio Leads First “Model Academy with Distinction” Elementary School in the Nation

    Unit 6’s Sheldon Oshio made headlines after Waikele Elementary School, where he serves as principal, became the first elementary school in the country to earn the “Model Academy with Distinction” designation from the National Career Academy Coalition.

    Waikele’s program is part of a larger career academy emphasis in the Waipahu Complex of schools. Traditionally career academies were limited to high schools, making Waikele’s program all the more innovative.

    Oshio told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the NCAC recognition “is a strong validation of the national standards of practice” and “a great validation of our collective work.”

    Read more in the Star-Advertiser.

  • 🎄Registration Now Open: Hawaii Island Holiday Unity Party

    HAWAII ISLAND DIVISION

    Holiday Unity Party

    Come deck the halls with us on Saturday, Dec. 20.

    Holiday Unity Party, Saturday, Dec. 20

    Registration Now Open

    UH-Hilo Campus Center Dining Hall

    Saturday, Dec. 20, 5:30 p.m.

    Enjoy a family-friendly evening with entertainment, no host bar, holiday games, a photo booth, festive fun, and good company.

    $50 per person, cash. Children ages 5 to 9 are $25, and ages 4 and under are free. Register at the Hilo Office by Monday, Dec.1.

    ETM Wine Tours

    Get a special early booking rate on the August 2026 Greece to Italy wine cruise hosted by Robert Young Estate Winery.

    HGEA x Eden in Love Collab Fundraiser

    HGEA x Eden in Love tote bags are on sale again! Sales will benefit the Charles R. Kendall Scholarship & Education Fund.

    FacebookInstagramYouTube

    FOLLOW US

    Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.

    For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.

    If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at

    (808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.

  • HGEA Welcomes Honolulu’s Newest Unit 15 Ocean Safety Recruits

    HGEA Welcomes Honolulu’s Newest Unit 15 Ocean Safety Recruits

    Fourteen new members of HGEA’s Unit 15 are making waves after successfully completing the eight-week training program for the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department. Joining the finest ocean safety professionals in the world, these recruits will be assigned across Oahu’s shores as first responders and guardians of residents and visitors alike.

    The graduates include Jesse Arias, Brisco Beaton, Malaika Bishaw, Anthony Bonfanti III, Nicco Crew, Nainoa Kapu, Chaz Kuikahi-Molina, Zenon Kulchitsky, Garrett Moos, Omid Nouripour, David Paine, Jr., David Rigauld, Jr., Nicole Salerno and Kale Wallace.

    “Through their courage, discipline, and aloha, these new lifeguards have earned their place among one of the most elite ocean safety teams in the world,” said Ocean Safety Chief Kurt Lager in a statement.

  • 🎙️WATCH: Rep. Tokuda on the Government Shutdown

    THE NEGOTIATION TABLE

    Rep. Jill Tokuda On the Federal Government Shutdown

    New Podcast Episode. Watch Now!

    Podcast Thumbnail: The Negotiation Table | Government Shutdown With U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda

    As the government shutdown drags on, our community is beginning to feel the impact on vital public services and the ability for working families to meet their basic needs. Funding for SNAP benefits, sometimes called food stamps, could dry up in a matter of days, leaving thousands without a lifeline for food. Then there are the thousands of federal workers in Hawaii, such as TSA officers and air traffic controllers, who are working without pay to keep serving the public.

    U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, from Hawaii’s second congressional district, gives us some perspective on the chaos in Washington, D.C.

    FIGHTING FOR YOU

    Union Secures Retention Bonuses

    for HPD Dispatchers

    Agreement Seeks to Boost Retention of Police Communication Officers and Emergency Response Officers

    Photo of HPD PRD Jenny Ahsing-Kaahanui

    HGEA and the Honolulu Police Department reached an agreement for new monthly retention bonuses for police communications officers and emergency response operators.

    The agreement comes on the heels of the union publicly calling on the city council to expand its inquiry into the HPD vacancy crisis to include dispatchers, not just uniformed officers.

    In a statement to Honolulu Civil Beat, HGEA’s Executive Director Randy Perreira said severe staffing shortages have long had an impact on employee morale, retention, and service.

    WORKING FOR HAWAII

    Free Christmas Concert Featuring HGEA Members in Royal Hawaiian Band

    Friday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall

    Photo of HPD PRD Jenny Ahsing-Kaahanui

    HGEA Members in the City and County of Honolulu’s Royal Hawaiian Band will lead a lineup of acclaimed musicians and artists in the free Kalikimaka Ho’omau concert heralding the start of the Christmas season.

    The two-hour holiday concert will be held at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. Seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors to the Blaisdell Concert Hall will open at 6 p.m.

    New Discount!

    Save at Jiffy Lube

    HGEA members save big on your total service invoice (excluding tires and batteries). Plus, get free fuel/oil additive.

    Scholarship Applications Now Open

    Kendall, Okata and Union Strong Scholarship applications are due by Tuesday, Jan. 20

    FacebookInstagramYouTube

    FOLLOW US

    Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.

    For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.

    If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at

    (808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.

  • Union Secures Retention Bonuses for HPD Dispatchers

    Union Secures Retention Bonuses for HPD Dispatchers

    HGEA and the Honolulu Police Department reached an agreement for new monthly retention bonuses for police communications officers and emergency response operators.

    The agreement comes on the heels of the union publicly calling on the city council to expand its inquiry into the HPD vacancy crisis to include dispatchers, not just uniformed officers.

    These vital employees answer urgent emergency calls from the public, but for years the union has sounded the alarm about the growing shortage in their ranks and the need for HPD to address recruitment and retainment. The department faces 188 vacancies in civilian positions, according to reports, two-thirds of which are dispatchers. With some 35% of dispatcher positions vacant, this creates the potential for a public safety hazard.

    In a statement to Honolulu Civil Beat, HGEA’s Executive Director Randy Perreira said severe staffing shortages have long had an impact on employee morale, retention, and service.

    “We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with the department to put some extra money in our members’ pockets,” he said. “It will go a long way toward helping to retain the existing workforce and perhaps boost recruitment. We continue to work with the department and the city’s task force for HPD vacancies to arrive at other ways to grow the ranks of these essential employees.”

    Read more in Honolulu Civil Beat.

    Jenny Ahsing-Kaahanui, Police Communication Officer II, Unit 3
  • Free Christmas Concert Featuring HGEA Members in Royal Hawaiian Band

    Free Christmas Concert Featuring HGEA Members in Royal Hawaiian Band

    HGEA members in the City and County of Honolulu’s Royal Hawaiian Band will lead a lineup of acclaimed musicians and artists in the free Kalikimaka Ho’omau concert heralding the start of the Christmas season.

    The two-hour holiday concert will be held at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. Seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Grammy-nominated, 21-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Henry Kapono will join the festivities. As will two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award recipient Raiatea Helm, the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, and a sleigh ride filled of special guests.

    Doors to the Blaisdell Concert Hall will open at 6 p.m.

  • Unit 15’s Chelsea Kahalepauole-Bizik and Kapua Chang Among the “8 Women Who Save Lives”

    Unit 15’s Chelsea Kahalepauole-Bizik and Kapua Chang Among the “8 Women Who Save Lives”

    When it comes to saving lives, lifeguards Chelsea Kahalepauole-Bizik and Kapua Chang are pros. As pioneering women in ocean safety their stories are highlighted in Hawaii Business Magazine’s “8 Women Who Save Lives.”

    Kahalepauole-Bizik, water safety officer III, started her lifeguard career at age 18 at a hotel pool. She honed her skills, like spotting distressed swimmers who appear to be trying to “climb the invisible ladder” to keep their head above water. In 2011, she joined Honolulu City and County’s Ocean Safety, eventually offered a lieutenant position in 2023.

    “I got a phone call and the chief told me, ‘We’d like to offer you the position. You scored third highest out of four, so the position that’s still open is in District 2.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s where I’m from,’ and I kind of teared up a little,” she told Hawaii Business Magazine.

    Chang, water safety officer II, broke the glass ceiling on Oahu by becoming Honolulu City and County’s first and only woman rescue watercraft operator, according to Hawaii Business. Chang recalled the rigorous training required to gain her certification. “At the very beginning, my head instructor, Ian Forester, told me in front of everybody, ‘Kapua, congratulations for being the first female. But just because you’re female, we’re not gonna take it any easier on you,'” she told Hawaii Business.

    Read the full feature story.

  • Randy Perreira on HPR: Federal Workers Being Used as Bargaining Chips In Government Shutdown

    Randy Perreira on HPR: Federal Workers Being Used as Bargaining Chips In Government Shutdown

    Randy Perreira in his capacity as president of the Hawaii State AFL-CIO appeared on Hawaii Public Radio following threats from the White House that backpay would be withheld from federal workers once the government eventually reopens. Thousands of federal workers in Hawaii, such as TSA officers and air traffic controllers, are working without pay to keep vital services running on behalf of the public. 

    “For us at the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, we’re particularly proud of these individuals,” Perreira told HPR. “If nothing else, we wanted to say thank you to them. We realize that they are making a huge sacrifice and facing a lot of uncertainty… but we really appreciate what all of them are doing.”

    Catherine Cruz, host of HPR’s The Conversation, noted that federal workers are “puzzled” that they are being treated like “the enemy from within” despite being dedicated public servants.

    Perreira called the demonization of workers unconscionable. “They are performing a service for our communities and they should not be considered the enemy. Whatever aspirations this administration has in trying to reshape government, they shouldn’t be treating these people like they are the problem.”

    In Hawaii, federal workers provide essential healthcare to our veterans, safeguard the skies for air travelers, protect our waterways, and combat crime. The Hawaii State AFL-CIO, in a press statement, said these public servants did not cause the government shutdown, “yet [they] and their families – our neighbors and friends – are stuck paying the price.”

    Listen to the full interview at Hawaii Public Radio.