Friday deadline looms for Hawaiʻi lawmakers to raise minimum wage
A bill to raise Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is facing an important deadline this Friday.
Supporters rallied in events across the islands to urge lawmakers to agree on a final version by Friday. If they do not agree on terms, the measure will be killed. The sticking point has been how much the raises will be and how fast they will be implemented.
The last minimum wage increase was four years ago to its current rate at $10.10 an hour.
For many working class families, that’s not enough to make ends meet, especially with the higher cost of food and housing.
“When you pay people higher wages, they put it back into the economy, so what I would say to business owners is don’t panic. People are already paying $15 an hour, some businesses are already paying $17, and it hasn’t hurt their business,” said Christy MacPherson of Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, which organized the rally.
If passed, employers would need to pay workers at least $12 an hour by October. In 2024, it would be raised to $15, and then $18 by 2026.
