Advocates for a living wage will be asking our elected officials to deliver on their promises and pass a living wage bill in the 2021 legislative session. But we can’t do it without support from you.
It’s time to Raise Up Hawaiʻi
Every worker deserves a Living Wage.
All tagged U.S. Economy
On Wednesday, Gov. David Ige signed House Bill 2510 into law, putting Hawaiʻi on a path toward the highest minimum wage in the country. As a small business owner, I say: It’s about time. No one can survive on $10.10 an hour—or just $21,000 a year—in Hawaiʻi.
While some of the opposition was from the perspective of business owners worried about the increased labor costs, most were concerned that the bill does not do enough.
Worker advocates called for a faster increase to $18 an hour consistent with a bill passed in January by the full Senate in a 24–1 vote.
But a living wage increase will go a long way toward providing financial stability for many in Hawaiʻi.
All Hawaiʻi workers should be able to make ends meet with one job, and it’s our legislature’s responsibility to make that a reality.
The latest state data show a single adult would need to make about $17 to $18 an hour at a full-time job to afford to live in Hawaiʻi.
Economic experts say many people are worse off than they were before the pandemic and a lower unemployment rate is simply masking deeper problems.
