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Senate advances bill to expand private‑sector collective bargaining; labor board warns of capacity needs
Summary
Senate Bill 1523, which would extend collective bargaining protections to more private‑sector workers, moved forward with amendments and funding language; the Hawaii Labor Relations Board told lawmakers the change would substantially increase its caseload and need for staff and resources.
The Senate Committee on Labor and Technology voted Feb. 10 to move forward Senate Bill 1523, a measure that would expand the types of private‑sector employees protected by the Hawaii Employment Relations Act to include certain independent contractors and employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act.
Thuy Downes Scanlon, president of IATSE Local 665, urged passage, saying the bill would “bolster the bulwark” against national rollbacks of labor protections. “This bill seeks to expand collective bargaining rights to private sector unions to afford the same rights and protections as our public sector can,” she said.
Labor unions provided broad support; Cliff Laboy told the committee he had outreach from roughly 16 unions representing about 35,000 members backing the measure. Ben Sadowski of Unite Here Local 5 also testified in support.
The Hawaii Labor Relations Board raised resource concerns. Dwight Takamine, interim chair of the HLRB, told senators expanding jurisdiction to cover the broader private workforce could multiply the agency’s caseload by roughly fivefold compared with current public‑sector work. Takamine said the National Labor Relations Board handled nearly 250 cases in Hawaii in 2024 compared with roughly 20 cases handled by HLRB, and recommended an appropriation for additional staffing, space and operations if the bill proceeds.
The committee recommended passage as Senate Draft 1 with technical amendments, a defective date of July 1, 2050, and appropriation language to provide resources for the Department of Labor and the labor board’s increased workload. Senators present recorded unanimous support for the committee recommendation.
