This April 6, 2020 photo from the Hawaii Army National Guard shows Spc. James Kamaka, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry, Hawaii National Guard screening departing passengers at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. HING soldiers began assisting the Airport Fire Department with screening of arriving and departing passengers on April 6.

Advertisement Hawaii governor proposing a 20% pay cut to teachers, 10% reduction to other public workers, unions say Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Hawaii Gov. David Ige is proposing reductions among public workers' salaries due to the novel coronavirus, according to reports.News outlets said unions have reported the governor's proposal would involve a 20% pay cut for teachers and 10% reduction for other public workers, such as nurses.The other public workers also include police officers and firefighters, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.The cuts are meant to prevent an "economic collapse as the coronavirus pandemic cuts off major sources of state revenues," Hawaii State Teachers Association President Corey Rosenlee told Hawaii News Now.Rosenlee told his fellow union members in an emailed message Tuesday night that it was unclear if the governor intended to implement the cuts as furloughs or as across-the board salary decreases. The reductions could come as early as May 1, he said.The union was informed of the idea during a meeting at the state Capitol, Rosenlee said.He said the proposal was unacceptable.Video: Frontline workers getting creative in dealing with COVID-19“While we recognize the coronavirus has already started to cripple Hawaii’s economy, no one can be sure of its long-term impacts. We believe cutting salaries for tens of thousands of state workers is rash and will hurt our state even more,” Rosenlee said in his letter.The union represents 13,700 public school teachers statewide.The Hawaii Government Employees Association, which represents 40,000 state and county employees, objected to cuts, especially when workers are on the front lines in the fight against the virus."Needless to say, any immediate furlough or salary reduction for government employees would only result in a greater strain on our local economy via unmet mortgage obligations, failure to make rent payments and a general inability to spend money to support local businesses," Randy Perreira, the union's executive director, said in a letter to Ige.Ige's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.Both unions urged the governor to find money elsewhere.Rosenlee said Hawaii had a cash surplus and a rainy day fund totaling more than $1 billion at the end of the last fiscal year. He noted Congress appropriated stimulus funding for the state and counties.Perreira said Hawaii was sitting on “hundreds of millions of dollars” that could be used to shore up the state budget. He also suggested the state temporarily forgo payments into the Employees Retirement System, which he estimated amounts to $1 billion a year.Hawaii's major sources of tax revenue are getting hit hard by the social distancing requirements brought on by the coronavirus. Hawaii has effectively shut down the tourism industry by imposing a 14-day quarantine on all arriving travelers, dealing a blow to hotel tax revenue. Restaurants and retail stores have also shut down, all of which has damaged general excise tax revenue.