Maui County workers are entitled to temporary hazard pay for working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The union covering government employees said it settled its arbitration dispute with the county.
More than 1,300 Hawaii Government Employees Association members employed by the County of Maui are entitled to extra compensation.
Employees who worked during Gov. David Ige’s emergency proclamation period from March 4, 2020, to March 25, 2022, can get up to 25% of their base salary.
HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira said in a statement that this is a precedent-setting award, and the union looks forward to resolving similar grievances with other jurisdictions.
The union said it is in various stages of the grievance process with all other jurisdictions: the counties of Hawaiʻi, Honolulu and Kauaʻi; the State of Hawaiʻi; the state Department of Education; the University of Hawaiʻi; the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary; and the Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation.
"This award validates our belief that what our government workforce did during the COVID-19 global pandemic was truly extraordinary. Our members sacrificed their health, and quite frankly, their families’ safety, to show up at work each and every day. They are not just essential workers, they are our social safety net and they kept Hawaii afloat during this unprecedented crisis,” Perreira said in a statement.
