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.
When it comes to the minimum wage debate, the vast majority of peer-reviewed research supports the concept that when workers can afford their basic necessities, the economy is strengthened and small businesses do well.
Here’s how the passage of Act 114 (2022) will impact the state minimum wage and corresponding tip penalty. Tens of thousands of Hawaiʻi minimum wage workers will be directly impacted, and many other workers could see corresponding, smaller increases in pay too.
There are over 88,000 minimum wage workers in Hawai‘i, making up 14 percent of our total workforce. These are our friends, our family members, our neighbors, our students, and even our teachers.
How much could food prices go up if Hawai‘i raises the minimum wage to $18 by 2026? For Hawaiʻi’s proposed 78% increase in the minimum wage, prices for goods and services are likely to rise between just 1.17–2.34%.
Defined as “the amount of money that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs without government and/or other subsidies,” DBEDT finds a single adult with no children needs to earn $19.56/ hour in 2022.
From business owners to student workers, labor organizers to land owners, pediatricians to mental healthcare service providers, media publishers to sitting legislators—support for a living wage comes from all over the community.
Decades of research has shown that past minimum wage increases have achieved their intended effects: raising pay for low-wage workers with little to no negative impact on employment.
