Last year, we achieved a historic victory. After years of championing a living wage for Hawai’i’s workers, we partnered with legislators to raise our state’s minimum wage to $18/hour by 2028, the highest state-level minimum wage rate in the nation. 

As we continue to celebrate our success, we must also focus on the promises that remain unfulfilled for our state’s working families. To that end, Raise Up Hawai’i is excited to announce our legislative priorities for the 2023 legislative session. 

• Paid sick leave: In Hawai'i, an estimated 180,000 workers lack access to paid sick leave, including 42 percent of private sector employees and 1 in 5 low-wage workers. That needs to change. To strengthen the health of Hawai'i's people, we are demanding that lawmakers pass a comprehensive paid sick leave bill. (HB 235/SB 342)

• Paid family leave: The majority of Hawai'i's workforce cannot afford to take unpaid leave to care for a new child or assist a family member with a serious health condition. All workers deserve access to paid family leave, which is essential in allowing parents to care for newborn keiki and family members who are seriously ill. We are calling on lawmakers to pass legislation that delivers up to 16 weeks of paid family leave insurance for Hawai'i's workers. (HB 236/SB 360)

• Closing the living wage loophole: Currently, state law exempts employees who earn over $2,000 per month from numerous wage laws, including our state’s minimum wage rate. We are working with legislators to prevent corporations from undermining Hawai’i’s minimum wage law by changing hourly workers to salaried workers. (HB 1087/SB 1385)

• Eliminating the tip penalty: The tip penalty has its roots in the days of slavery. Numerous studies have also shown that the tip penalty worsens sexual harassment in the workplace. President Joe Biden has repeatedly expressed support for abolishing the tip penalty, which weakens the financial well-being of service industry employees. Accordingly, we are calling on legislators to abolish the tip credit. (HB 1288/SB 270)

Get involved with Raise Up Hawaii this legislative session by signing up for action alerts and other opportunities here.