University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly to Hold Ratification Vote for an Early Settlement

HONOLULU - Governor Josh Green, M.D., University of Hawai’i President David Lassner, and the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents announced today that they have reached a tentative agreement for UH faculty represented by the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly (UHPA). The tentative agreement comes more than eight months before the current contract expires.

The current contract for the UH faculty expires June 30, 2025. The new two-year contract will begin July 1, 2025, to coincide with the start of a new state fiscal year.

Faculty will vote electronically on the tentative agreement from Tuesday, October 15, through 5:00 p.m, Thursday, October 17, 2024.

The collective bargaining agreement is a multi-party contract involving the Governor, UH president, the Board of Regents and UHPA. All must agree to the terms and conditions of the contract.

The new contract mirrors the last two years (2025-2027) of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA) agreement with the state that extends through June 2027. The agreement includes a 3.5% wage increase in the first year and a 3.79% increase in the second year.

“The role of the University of Hawai?i is absolutely critical to ensuring a thriving and healthy future for our state. UH is an economic driver for everyone in Hawai‘i,” said Governor Green. “This agreement will allow us to attract and retain the great faculty we need who can develop our future leaders and citizens as they work to address the greatest challenges and opportunities we face.”

“We are deeply grateful to Governor Green, UHPA and their teams for this positive collaborative outcome that will provide well-deserved increases for our hard-working faculty members,” said UH President David Lassner. “This will ensure stability in our relationship as a new president takes the helm of the UH system and enable our faculty to focus on the incredible work they do each and every day across instruction, research and service with and for our students and communities throughout our islands.”

“Reaching a tentative agreement more than half a year before the expiration of the current contract is a testament to the power of collaboration,“ said Christian Fern, executive director of UHPA, the exclusive bargaining agent for 3,300 faculty across all 10 UH campuses statewide. “With the uncertainties ahead, we appreciate Governor Green, President Lassner, and the Board of Regents for offering this package to the faculty early to provide a fair and equitable proposal for our members to vote on so that we can focus our collective efforts on making Hawai’i a better place to live and work, now and for future generations.”