Testimony to Senate Labor Committee regarding minimum wage

The Hawaii Workers Center strongly supports raising the very low Hawaii
minimum wage of $10.10 an hour, but HB2510 is not sufficient. Please
strengthen HB 2510 to remove tip credit and shorten the period over which
the minimum wage is raised to $18 an hour.  Low-wage workers
desperately need a boost in their pay, and this would benefit all workers in
Hawaii and also help businesses who service the needs of these workers
and their families. 


Hawaii has an extremely high cost-of-living and the current inflation rate for
necessities including gasoline has imposed even greater hardships on
Hawai’i’s workers. 


Ideally, the Legislature should be proactive and have foresight and raised
the minimum wage to $25 by 2025.  That is the position of the Hawaii
Workers Center and it is supported by studies which show that even $18 an
hour is not sufficient to support a family. Most low-wage workers have to
work two or three jobs, even in the mainly unionized hotel sector. 
The Hawaii Workers Center urgest you to amend HB 2510 to make it more
in line with the better Senate bill, SB2018, which your committee
approved.  Mahalo for considering our testimony. 


John Witeck, for HWC

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