An arbitration panel has ruled that state prison guards and others covered by United Public Workers Unit 10 will be subject to pay cuts or furloughs, Gov. Linda Lingle's office announced this evening.

There are about 3,000 workers in UPW's Bargaining Unit 10, which includes prison guards and health care and emergency medical service workers, many of whom work in jobs that need 24-hour staffing.
The ruling does not cover UPW's main blue-collar unit, which does not have the right to arbitration.

Here are details of the arbitration panel's ruling:
— Hawai‘i State Hospital, Prison and Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) guards:
Up to 5.45 percent pay cut, effective January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011
— Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation (HHSC):
Up to 14 furlough days, effective January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010
Up to 24 furlough days, effective July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011
— City Emergency Medical Services (EMS):
No furloughs in fiscal year 2010
Up to 21 furlough days, effective July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011

“This is a split decision as far as I’m concerned,” Lingle said in a news release. “The arbitration panel went along with our request for pay cuts for employees of some of the most important 24/7 operations at the State Hospital, the prisons, and the youth correctional facility, but ignored the same request for others.

“We are very disappointed that the panel chose to implement furloughs for employees of the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation. A straight pay cut for these employees would be better than furloughs because the nature of the work and the people they serve requires 24/7 attention."