A dream deferred: A week after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the war on the poor continues
Tom Yamachika’s Jan. 18 column, “What really is a minimum wage?” offers a clear articulation of the disregard and disdain for the poor which appears at all levels of government.
Advocates rally at the capitol to demand higher minimum wage
About 50 living wage advocates rallied at the state capitol Wednesday evening to push lawmakers to raise the the hourly wage to $17, from the current minimum of $10.10.
How a living wage would help lots of Hawaiʻi workers
More than half of the children in the state have a parent earning below $17 per hour.
Hawaiʻi’s economy will benefit from a higher minimum wage
Opponents can only make disingenuous arguments that rely on irrelevant information.
Shameful for lawmakers to not act on living wage
Our legislators allowed a raise for themselves but declined to vote on a living wage for the working people of Hawaiʻi, many of whom work two or three jobs.
For good of isles’ workers, $15 minimum wage is imperative
$15 per hour, while short of a subsistence or living wage, is a meaningful step that will truly help working people—and rev up the economy.
A living wage will help keep families here
Hawaiʻi’s workers need a minimum wage that keeps up with our cost of living. A living wage can help stop the flight of good people from their home. Lawmakers can make it happen.
Business report: new figures on Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage
The main takeaway from the report: low-wage workers plow every penny back into the economy, so giving them a raise should stimulate economic activity.
Minimum wage increase could help over 200,000 workers, report says
The report disputes the argument opponents of a minimum wage increase make that a wage increase could hurt small businesses in Hawaiʻi. It says that minimum wage workers would likely spend their additional income in ways that boost the local economy.
Minimum wage should rise to no less than $15
We deserve at least $17, and so anything less than $15 is completely unacceptable.
Businesses can afford to pay living wage
From the day we opened, I guaranteed a $20 an hour minimum wage. I had no capital or loans from wealthy family members to fall back on; just a simple belief that no one who works full time should be unable to live or cover the basics.
Hawaiʻi workers need a higher minimum wage
Yes, a higher minimum wage would make it harder for me to compete for good attendants. I expect what I pay will have to keep rising. Nonetheless, I’d like people to be less strapped all the time, as mine are.
Heed the poets when thinking of Hawaiʻi’s most needy
On TV, Hawaiʻi is shown as paradise with palm trees, spotless beaches and hula dancers. However, what isn’t seen is the homelessness, the multiple jobs families need to get by, and people struggling to make ends meet.
The call for a living wage
Raising the minimum wage is about dignity and it is about justice. It is clear from more than a century of Catholic teaching that labor is at the heart of the social question, at the heart of human dignity.
The link between low wages and high housing costs
There are two sides to the affordable housing problem. One is building more units and the other is the low income of our residents.
Livable wage can sustain our economy
At $10.10 an hour, our low-income workers clearly do not have enough to buy food and pay rent—in short, to be “self-sufficient.”
Locals argue for higher wages
“Wages have just not kept up with the cost of living. Even with the last increase to $10.10, I see more and more people becoming homeless because they cannot afford a place to stay.”
Big Island advocates ask legislators to support living wage
From childcare to college, Hawaiʻi Island advocates Jennifer Kagiwada and George Donev told lawmakers that a living wage will transform the community.
Enact living wage to boost keiki health
As a doctor I see the price too many children pay in the form of ailments that can be traced to poverty. I urge lawmakers to enact a real living wage to help my most vulnerable patients have a better shot at life.
Insights on PBS Hawaiʻi: raising the state’s minimum wage
“Insights” on PBS Hawaiʻi looks at the pros and cons of raising the state’s minimum wage, and how it will affect our local economy.