Gov. Green announces tentative deal with UH faculty eight months before contract ends

Gov. Josh Green joined with University of Hawai’i President David Lassner and the UH Board of Regents today to announce a tentative agreement for university faculty members represented by the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly. The deal comes more than eight months before the faculty’s current contract 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 union members will vote electronically on the tentative agreement from Oct. 15 through 5 p.m. Oct. 17.  

The collective bargaining agreement is a multi-party contract involving the governor, UH president, the Board of Regents and faculty union. All must agree to the contract’s terms and conditions.

The new contract mirrors the last two years (2025-2027) of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association 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 Hawaiʻi is absolutely critical to ensuring a thriving and healthy future for our state. UH is an economic driver for everyone in Hawai‘i,” Green said. “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,” Lassner said. “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, UHPA executive director, 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.”

Meanwhile, the Officer of the Governor said the governor departed Hawai’i on Thursday to travel to Nevada to learn about sports tourism. Green is scheduled to return home Tuesday.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke will serve as acting governor from the night of Oct. 10 through the morning of Oct. 12. Attorney General Anne Lopez will serve as acting governor from the morning of Oct. 12 through the afternoon of Oct. 15.