Supporters rally to raise minimum wage to $18 as bill advances back to House

A bill that would incrementally raise the state’s minimum wage passed out of the state Senate on Tuesday.

House Bill 2510, in its current iteration, would increase the base pay in stages from the current minimum wage of $10.10 to $12 per hour in October of this year, then to $15 an hour starting January 2024 and finally $18 an hour in January 2026.

It would also reduce and eventually eliminate the “tip credit”—a practice that allows employers to use a portion of tips toward the calculation of the minimum wage.

At a Labor for Living Wages rally at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol on Wednesday, Kona Rep. Jeanne Kapela said current wages cannot begin to satisfy the state’s highest cost-of-living standards in the nation.

“Our current minimum wage of $10.10 is not enough,” Kapela said. “A minimum wage worker currently has to work close to three full-time jobs—or 114 hours a week—just to afford a one-bedroom apartment in our islands. We know that working families are being priced out of paradise. They can't afford to keep a roof over their head or feed their children.”

Kapela said it comes down to lawmakers to make this happen.