The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly will ask its members in early October whether to authorize the union to agree to a university contract offer that includes a 5 percent salary cut.

The offer, according to the union, also includes a payroll lag of five days at the end of this fiscal year and a reduction in the state's contribution to health insurance from 60 percent of premium costs to less than 50 percent.

Under state labor law, the governor has three votes on new contracts for professors, the UH Board of Regents has two votes, and the UH president has one vote.

The union said it would hold an authorization vote between Oct. 5 and Oct. 7. The vote is intended to give the union direction on how to proceed, not to ratify the two-year contract.

The union, which represents nearly 4,000 faculty members, said it would likely take legal action or strike if the university moves to impose the contract without a tentative agreement.

“Neither the UHPA board nor its collective bargaining committee endorses the offer," J.N. Musto, the union's executive director, said today in a statement. "However, we are presenting the employer’s proposal to the UHPA membership because we have reached the point where the employer is no longer willing to make any further compromises and we have a responsibility to allow our membership the opportunity to express their collective opinion.”

John Morton, the UH vice president for community colleges and the university's chief negotiator, said the university is disappointed by the union's response.

“We are disappointed that UHPA leaders are recommending that its members reject the university’s best and final offer," Morton said in a statement.

"We are experiencing a record increase in enrollment. At the same time, we face at least a $154 million shortfall in our budgets over the next two years. We believe that our offer is reasonable and look forward to a resolution of our bargaining efforts that best serves our students and the mission of our university.”