The city today released a statement by the Hawaii Council of Mayors — Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi and Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares — on the ongoing labor negotiations between the public employers and Hawaii Government Employees Association:

“We’re pleased that the labor negotiations have progressed to a stage where a settlement is close at hand. We’ve all been actively engaged in the process in recent days, in fact, for many months now, meeting with our state counterparts as well as the unions, and are gratified that our efforts are reaching fruition.
“From the very beginning, the mayors have been consistent in pushing for a settlement with furloughs as the major starting point for resolving our budget challenges. The tentative agreement with the HGEA proves the wisdom of that strategy.
“When we first learned of the possible settlement between the state and HGEA late last week, we asked for clarifications, in writing, on several key issues. Only yesterday did we receive confirmation of some of the proposed terms that HCOM was requesting of the new agreement.
“Any agreement of this scope, cost, and complexity requires a thorough examination and deliberation. Now that we know what we’re agreeing to, we can scrutinize the terms and conditions in consultation with our budget and human resources staffs.
“Any talk of ‘mayors not being in synch’ with what’s been progressing is total hogwash. We are intimately involved and have been in constant discussions with the governor’s staff and with the key officials of the HGEA.
“We understand there are still some delicate issues to be resolved between the employers and HGEA, but none that should be considered deal-breakers. We’re anxious to conclude the contract talks and expect to reach a decision soon.”