Fight for $15: Lawmakers fail our ʻohana on wages

I was deeply disappointed to see Hawaiʻi legislators fail to enact a living wage for workers who are clearly struggling to survive.

I’m a proud graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy (Class of 2004) and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Class of 2008). My education at these institutions emphasized our shared moral obligation to advocate for a more just and equitable society.

To me, that means being attentive to the lived experiences of those who cannot make ends meet and provide for their families in the Aloha State.

I’m a faculty member at a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, and my husband is a Catholic high school teacher. We would not be able to move back to Honolulu anytime soon, given the incredibly high cost of living.

How much harder for those working minimum-wage jobs in Hawaiʻi, who had every right to expect their elected leaders to address their needs?