New Chair Nominated for Hawaii Labor Relations Board
If confirmed, State Rep. Marcus Oshiro will complete the six-year term left vacant by the resignation of Kerry Komatsubara, which ends June 30, 2018. He is also being appointed for a six-year term to end June 30, 2024.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige has nominated State Rep. Marcus Oshiro, a Democrat, to chair the Hawaii Labor Relations Board. If confirmed by the state Senate, Oshiro will complete the six-year term left vacant by the resignation of Kerry Komatsubara, which ends June 30, 2018, and he is also being appointed for a six-year term to end June 30, 2024.
The Labor Relations Board's mission is to enforce and protect the rights of state and county workers and public unions to organize and bargain collectively in balance with the employers' rights to manage operations, and also to fairly and efficiently resolve labor disputes. The board also conducts hearings on contested citations issued by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) Division. It is attached to the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for administrative and budgetary purposes only.
"Marcus is a respected leader who knows and understands the issues, and he has the background and experience to step right in to fill this very important role," Ige said Aug. 29. "This will be a new opportunity for him to use his talent and skills on behalf of the public, and I have every confidence in him."
Oshiro has served in the State House of Representatives since being elected in 1994; he is a former vice speaker, majority leader, and is past chair of the committees on finance and labor. "I am humbled by Gov. Ige's nomination to serve as the chairperson of the Hawaii Labor Relations Board," he said. "With the Senate's approval, I look forward to ensuring our labor laws are applied fairly and consistently with the principles of collective bargaining in promoting the harmonious and cooperative relations between the parties."