How important is the political endorsement of the Hawaii Government Employees Association?

Think of the endorsement this way: 43,000 people sign-waving for candidates during rush hour, putting a bumper-sticker on a car or truck, making calls to friends and family, and casting a ballot on or before election day.

To be sure, the HGEA AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO — the state’s biggest and most influential organized labor union — does not act as a monolithic unit.

What happens in the voting booth (or when filling in a mail-in ballot) is the decision of each dues-paying member.

But today’s endorsement of the candidacies of Mufi Hannemann for governor, Brian Schatz for lieutenant governor and Kirk Caldwell for Honolulu mayor is a major shot in the arm for each campaign, potentially elevating their stock over their rivals.

It’s also a tough blow to Hannemann’s chief primary competitor, Neil Abercrombie, whose labor roots go deeper than Hannemann’s.

In the end, it was Hannemann’s administrative experience as Honolulu mayor, including collective-bargaining experience, that gave him the edge over the former congressman.

“This was a difficult decision because both have stood by government employees over the years,” HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira said at a press conference. “These are people we have long considered friends…Neil is a great guy, but the sad thing is you can only take one date to the prom.”

Hannemann was grateful for the HGEA’s endorsement, which gives him the edge with labor. But he said there was no quid pro quo.

“The only thing I promised the HGEA is that I will have an open door to discuss every issue,” he said today at HGEA offices in downtown Honolulu. “We always agree on some issues, and we disagree on others. But the door never shuts in the spirit of collaboration. That is the only guarantee.”

Speaking with the HGEA’s logo as backdrop (“Working together for Hawaii”), Perreira agreed there were “no strings attached.”

Said Caldwell, who is acting mayor: “No conditions, no promises, no expectations, other than we work together for Hawaii.”

Local Republicans have another view.

“The HGEA Union Bosses have made it clear that a prerequisite for their endorsement is a commitment from candidates to raise the GET tax in order to pay them off,” said Jonah Kaauwai, chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party. “Hannemann, Schatz and Caldwell need to come clean with Hawaii voters and tell them how big of an increase they promised so we know just how much more in taxes we can expect to pay if they get elected.”

Despite the HGEA’s urging, the Legislature and governor chose not to increase the state’s general excise and use tax earlier this year to help reach collective-bargaining agreements with the state’s four largest public-sector unions.

Perreira acknowledged that collective bargaining and the issues his members face “day to day” — namely, Hawaii’s economy — are critical. And he made it clear that the HGEA wanted no repeat of the last eight years of the administration of Gov. Linda Lingle, during which the union clashed with the governor over salaries and benefits as the economy worsened.

Hannemann Has Most Labor Support

HGEA is the fifth public union to endorse Hannemann, following the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, Hawaii Firefighters Association, the United Public Workers and the Teamsters. Hannemann has also received eight private labor union endorsements.

In a state where unionized workers make up nearly one-fourth of the state’s work force, labor still has clout.

Abercrombie put his best spin on events.

“With the endorsements of the Sierra Club today and the Hawaii State Teachers Association yesterday, environmentalists and teachers have joined plumbers, venture capitalists, Hawaiian homesteaders, hotel workers, professors, social workers, civil rights groups, and many other organizations and individuals to form a Coalition for Change in Hawaii,” he said in a statement.

In addition to boosting Hannemann, HGEA’s endorsement helps Caldwell distinguish himself against his three primary mayoral candidates — Rod Tam, Peter Carlisle and Panos Prevedouros, whom Perreira dismissed as “one-dimensional” candidates.

Schatz is helped as well in his race against five other familiar faces in the LG race — Bobby Bunda, Lyla Berg, Gary Hooser, Jon Riki Karamatsu and Norman Sakamoto. Thus far Schatz and Hooser have picked up the lion’s share of labor support.

The HGEA, Democrats and Incumbents

When it comes to endorsements, the most important factor of all for the HGEA, which was founded in 1934, is party affiliation. Incumbency is a close second, and in a one-party state like Hawaii the two characteristics are intertwined.

The union also endorsed the re-election of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono as well as the campaign of state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa to unseat Republican Rep. Charles Djou.

HGEA also put its support behind nine state Senators and 27 state House representatives running for re-election, Democrats all. Three other Democrats running for open state Senate seats also got HGEA’s support.

It wasn’t a blanket wet kiss, though: The HGEA took no action on state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, perhaps an expression of disapproval of Kim’s budget-cutting tendencies on the Senate Ways & Means Committee. (The official reason, said HGEA, is that Kim and other candidates “did not contact HGEA for endorsement consideration in a timely manner or at all.”)

In the House, the HGEA passed on endorsing nearly a dozen incumbent Democrats, including veteran Ken Ito. And a decision on House Speaker Calvin Say, who faces newcomer Dwight Synan, is pending.

A decision on the nonpartisan race for Honolulu city prosecutor is also pending.

But Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares and KauaiMayor Bernard Carvalho picked up endorsements in their nonpartisan bids for re-election.

The HGEA’s Track Record

Does the HGEA’s endorsement help?

Perreira estimates over 80 percent of the union’s candidates are elected, though he says incumbency is a factor.

“The idea is to make sure information is presented to our members to help them make informed decisions,” Perreira said.

But the HGEA is a diverse bunch.

It represents state and county government employees in seven bargaining units ranging from blue-collar supervisors to white-collar employees and supervisors, from university employees to nurses, from technical positions to educational officers, and serving associate members composed of retirees, employees excluded from collective bargaining, and federal and private-sector workers.

Sometimes the will of the voters goes against HGEA’s wishes, most notably in 2002, when Lingle was elected governor over the HGEA-endorsed Hirono. Hirono was lieutenant governor at the time.