As a millennial, I want to make it very clear that I stand with the thousands of working poor, students and advocates who believe in the “Fight for $15.” I plant myself firmly on the side of those who are unable to afford to stay in their homes — often because they lack just one month’s rent — and fear that one day their families may be cast aside to join the community of homeless whose numbers are growing with no end in sight. I am dedicated to using my voice as a student and a working woman, and as a member of the diverse community of Hawaii to make living bearable for all people on these islands.
I am a student at Hawaii Pacific University and I grew up on the mainland in Vermont. Although my home state has many of its own problems, we are lucky enough to have our minimum wage adjusted to meet the cost of living there. I was shocked to learn that this is not the case In Hawaii.
Hawaii’s minimum wage, a mere $10.10 as of January 2018, cannot possibly be adequate to meet the needs of those who work often two or three jobs for their paychecks every week. In a state where affordable housing is scarce and even the most basic of foods are priced higher because of the cost of importing them, $10.10 is simply not enough for me to sustain myself alone. How much harder, then, the circumstances of a family with children to care for and futures to invest in — if they have anything left over for tomorrow.
I am lucky enough to have resources outside of my wages I make here on Oahu, but I have seen strangers and friends alike struggle to make ends meet. This is not new news. Anyone and everyone can see the evidence of this on our streets. I see it daily when I go to school in downtown Honolulu. This is a pain that no one should have to face if their labor and goals are honest, and yet, it is the reality that so many are made to endure. So I ask: Why are our leaders not taking steps to address this?
Millennials are often criticized for apathy, for voting absence and not engaging in the civic square. Surely it is time that legislators ask themselves what kind of example they are setting by their reluctance to decisively address problems staring us in the face and are only worsening. Perhaps legislators are hoping to inspire my generation to become so angry and frustrated that we will run to displace those not using the power they have been given by voters to serve the community. Because certainly, leadership is fundamentally about service.
I am dedicating myself to helping make life manageable for working people in Hawaii by supporting the effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. This would strengthen our state’s economic stability, improve the mental health of workers, provide security for our children, and bring peace of mind to those who wonder daily whether they will have a roof over their heads and if they can feed, clothe and educate their children.
Our elected officials need to answer those questions by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and providing paid family leave. The Family Medical Leave Act was passed 25 years ago but it did not cover everyone and it did not provide pay for when employees took time off to care for family. It’s time to improve on both Hawaii’s minimum wage and family leave to do right by working families.
