Our keiki also need a $17 minimum wage
After adjusting for cost of living, Hawaiʻi’s average wage is the lowest in the nation. How can I blame my friends for leaving as quickly as they are when the legislature is considering only $13 in four years?
While it is too late to change the minds of many young people in Hawaiʻi, by increasing the minimum wage to $17, maybe we can convince the next class of seniors to stay. Because what is the point of encouraging small, local businesses to grow if there is no one new to buy from, operate, or own them?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in every single county, the population of those 65 years and older in Hawaiʻi is increasing. Young people are leaving, and if we do nothing or not enough, they will continue to leave. It was a sad thing indeed when I realized that my decision to stay made me the minority.
We need to increase the minimum wage to $17, and soon. The next eight most expensive states after Hawaiʻi have all passed laws to raise their minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. Now, it is time for the Hawaiʻi State legislature to make a move.
