2010-12-10 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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order to move positions from one department to another or combining positions, or combining departments? MR. TAKAHASHI: I would say it’s not a long term process. It’s a process that needs to involve the unions in consultation. We don’t have to have agreement per se, with the unions to do so. We need to consult with them to provide them an opportunity to provide feedback. So long as we’re not changing the hours and working conditions of the employee, we don’t need to negotiate. If we’re going to tell somebody we’re going to move you from Parks to Public Works, and oh by the way you now have to work midnight. That’s something that would need to be negotiated. But a 7:45 to 4:30 job, moving from one department to the other and restructuring that, would be a matter of consultation. But that would be able to take place. It’s a process I would believe is not long term, but it would be a three to six month process. MS. WONG: And who from HGEA is, who do you interact with now that Ian’s on this side? The reason I ask is I see that there’s an ad in the paper, they’re hiring. And I thought, is the position open? Do you have people to talk with? MR. TAKAHASHI: Oh yeah. HGEA’s Hawai‘i division director is Ann Ebesuno. She heads the HGEA office here on the Big Island. We would direct our inquiries of consultation matters to her. Sometimes we have to involve the Honolulu office, Mr.Randy Perreira who is the executive director of HGEA. MS. WONG: And one of the other notes in here is who is covered by union contracts in the county? Is it basically everyone except appointed positions? MR. TAKAHASHI: Yes. Primarily the law provides for,employees shall be included in collective bargain except your elected, appointed, the legal people from that office, secretaries, department heads, deputy department heads, and anyone who works and deals with personal and confidential nature in their job as far as that would involve collective bargaining matters. Those people are excluded from collective bargaining per se, and not part of the union contracts. MR. MATSUDA: Would it also include probationary people too? They’re not with the union yet. MR. TAKAHASHI: Probationary period people are in the union. They’re included. Their terms and conditions are governed by the union contracts. They pay union dues from day one. MS. WONG: Two other questions –I think one specifically to Ian –now that you’ve come over to this side, and you know the temperament in all government agencies, I think, because of the furloughs and economic downturn, the stress in all the government agencies, are there a lot of cases that the employees are asking HGEA to intercede for them that you’re addressing on this side, are there a lot of cases or is it pretty much mellow for Hawai‘i County? MR. TAKASHIBA: I won’t answer for HGEA but based on my seven months here in the county, I don’t see a significant increase in the number of cases that we have 8