STAND. COM. REP. NO.343

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1590

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1590 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to striking workers, if prior to or during the work stoppage, the employer has rejected a bona fide offer from the workers' labor organization to submit the dispute to final and binding arbitration.

Unity House, Inc., testified in support of the measure. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii testified in opposition to the measure.

Currently, the law provides that striking unemployed workers are entitled to unemployment compensation benefits if the employer's production is unimpaired and the employer continues to operate the business at a normal level. Notwithstanding the work stoppage standard, this measure would authorize the payment of benefits if an employer has rejected a bona fide offer to submit the dispute to final and binding arbitration.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1590 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor,

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair