Posted: January 13, 2022
The 2021–23 Hawaii State Teachers Association Collective Bargaining Agreement, or contract, has been updated with gender-neutral language. Previous contracts utilized masculine pronouns in reference to gender types.
“To have so many vestigial references to ‘he’ and ‘him’ in a contract that covers a primarily female profession speaks to the outdated nature of such language,” said HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr.
The update reflects an agreement signed by the HSTA and Hawaii State Department of Education as follows:
The Bargaining Unit 05 (BU 05) Collective Bargaining Agreement (Agreement) between the Hawaii State Teachers Association (Association) and the State of Hawaii Board of Education (Employer) has historically used masculine pronouns in reference to gender types.
The Employer and the Association, collectively known as the “Parties”, acknowledge the importance of a work environment that fosters acceptance, support, and inclusivity of all employees. Thus, the Parties have mutually agreed to amend the 2021-2023 Agreement by replacing masculine or gender-specific pronouns (e.g., he, his, she/he, his position) with gender-neutral language (e.g., they, their, the position).
The Parties mutually agree that the sole intent and purpose of the amendments is to replace masculine or gender-specific pronouns in the Agreement with gender-neutral terminology. The Parties further agree that these amendments:
- Shall not alter or modify in any way the intent or application of any existing language and provisions of the Agreement;
- Shall not cause additional costs to be incurred by the Employer; and
- Shall not cause any impact to operations.
The updated digital contract is available for download with the printed version to be distributed to members in the near future.