All tagged Cost of Living
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.
A bill in the state House of Representatives that would increase the minimum wage cleared a committee hurdle Tuesday.
The increase would be historic, giving the state the highest minimum wage in the nation, matching its highest-in-the-nation cost of living. This high cost of living is particularly pronounced on Kaua‘i, which is the most expensive of all the islands.
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.
An increased minimum wage would not only put food on families’ tables but put money in their pockets for spending at local businesses.
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.
Local workers, community members and coalition partners plan to gather at the Honolulu airport to demonstrate support for passage of a living wage policy in 2022.
And Hawaiʻi’s lawmakers should pass legislation that supports workers’ well-being.
Our representatives need to give us some hope that we can prosper here. That our keiki can prosper here. Raise the minimum wage.