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.
Legislature could quickly raise minimum wage next year
A bill that stalled in the last days of the 2019 session carries over to the assembly that convenes in January, giving state lawmakers an opportunity to secure minimum wage legislation early in the 2020 session.
Fight for $15: Lawmakers fail our ʻohana on wages
How much harder for those working minimum-wage jobs in Hawaiʻi, who had every right to expect their elected leaders to address their needs?
Why is every legislative session shrouded in political mystery?
The much ballyhooed effort to raise the minimum wage was just one bill that died with no vote or announcement. Lawmakers didn’t want you to even ask, much less know.
Saiki, House leave local workers worse off
Saiki could have written two lines that synthesized his entire commentary: “The Chamber of Commerce, which funds my campaign, didn’t want me to pass a living minimum wage for the people of Hawaiʻi. So I didn’t.”
‘Republicrats’ failed workers by not raising minimum wage
The leadership of the House of Representatives let our workers down: they include Scott Saiki, Mark Nakashima, Della Au Belatti, Dee Morikawa, Tom Brower, Aaron Johanson and Sylvia Luke.
Out of touch lawmakers failed to raise minimum wage
An increase would have shown that Democrats still fight for the interests of working families.
Hawaiʻi’s people suffer while legislators fail to pass meaningful bills
People are dying. Real people are really dying. Let’s vote for some real change in 2020, shall we?
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.
Sine Die—my take on the 2019 session
Our state legislature, dominated by lawmakers who were elected under the flag of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, refused to pass legislation increasing the minimum wage, a top legislative priority of their own party.
Legislature did nothing to deserve pay raise
Our legislators should be embarrassed. Instead they are going to receive pay raises they don’t deserve.
Housing progress needs firm steps
Advocates are rightly concerned that the failure of a minimum-wage increase to pass will not make it any easier for low-income renters to afford what housing is available.
Pay raise for ineffectual lawmakers is appalling
What kind of lawmakers would give themselves a large pay raise for a part-time badly done job?
Local connection: lawmakers get a raise
It’s shameful that Hawaiʻi’s legislature adjourned last week without increasing Hawaiʻi’s $10.10 minimum wage.
Lawmakers didn’t pass a minimum wage hike, but are getting raises of their own
State lawmakers who couldn’t reach a deal to increase Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage of $10.10 an hour are being criticized for accepting pay raises for themselves.
‘Democratic’ lawmakers fail to pass living wage
One lawmaker reportedly called the outcome “bittersweet.” No, it was just bitter.
Minimum wage bill shelved
Conferees had last-minute concerns about whether a separate wage scale was legal and whether it would cause unintended consequences, so lawmakers ultimately decided to remove the scale entirely.