Raise wages, workers’ living standards, enhance public health

The current COVID-19 surge is putting Hawaiʻi’s workers and their families at grave risk. Health care workers in particular are feeling the burden of the increased number of patients needing treatment for COVID-19 and related complications. As for the general public, employer vaccination and mask mandates are worthwhile and essential tools, but they do not fully address the public health threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and our economic situation.

Now more than ever, we see that wage levels in Hawaiʻi need to be raised substantially to improve workers’ living standards and safeguard the public’s health. The pandemic has created great difficulties for so many workers and their families, and today we are witnessing escalating inflation that is raising the costs of necessary services and basic commodities.

We are seeing that many individuals and families can no longer afford to live in Hawaiʻi given the very high cost of living and the constantly rising cost of housing with no relief in sight. Affordable housing is also a basic health need of workers and the general public.

Therefore, we strongly support hiking the minimum wage in Hawaiʻi to at least $18 an hour at the earliest possible time and favor regular increments each year based on the cost-of-living. The state legislature should also ensure that any hike in the minimum wage will not cause reductions in other income or benefits that low-wage workers may be receiving to support their families.