What do you think of Hawaii’s increasing minimum wage, now at $9.25 per hour and set for $10.10 per hour next year?
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A. Fair; about right (563 Votes)
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B. Too high; tough for businesses (548 Votes)
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C. Too low; tough for workers (392 Votes)
This is not a scientific poll — results reflect only the opinions of those voting.
32 responses to “What do you think of Hawaii’s increasing minimum wage, now at $9.25 per hour and set for $10.10 per hour next year?”
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minimum wage is not used for living on, its for you to start a new job and work your way up to better paying job, that’s what minimum wage means I feel a lot of small business will have to cut hours or jobs. that’s why the liberals did this increase so when trump comes president and all these small business start laying workers off, and go unemployment now they can blame trump for higher unemployment here and other states in this country who also raised the minimum wage to high.
It’s tough on businesses trying to help out people who don’t know how to work.
This is probably near Triple the minimum wage of when I started to work in my mid-teens back in the ’60’s. The thing is everything costs more today than it did way back when and maybe minimum wages haven’t kept up with the cost of goods, but, really I don’t know. Of course one would feel that’s a lot of money to pay a newbie entry level job but the newbie hire should be able to pick up the nuances of the entry level job pretty quickly as that entry level job is just that! Yeah, that’d be a lot of money for my gas station job pumping gas back in the 60’s but again today everything costs that much more. A hamburger was a quarter and today it’s of a buck, that’s costing 4 times more today than back in the 60’s. So, $2.65/hour back then x 4times is $10+ today so it’s just about right the way I calculated that.
In 1964 we was making like.65cents an hour!
What did you do Bdpapa? I made at least $1.50
Cleaned cars at a car wash! Yup, started at 65 then went up to 80. Moved to another job cleaning the beach and went up to 1.15 and when I got pulled into the military was making 1.25. I think the minimum went up to 1.40 after that.
Sorry, I was way off. In 1964 the minimum wage was 1.25!
It’s relative. We need to think of whether it will help or hinder our economy. Because no one is helped if the number of jobs goes down.
At this point, small increases in minimum wagealready have helped business. No one is complaining.
Think about it. Every dollar spent on pay increase comes back with $1.50 in benefits to our economy.
IRT LesPark, it’s not only business. Minimum wage impacts each and every employer: Federal, State, County government employment; Contraction and Service contractors; Hotels and the entire Visitor Industry; and all other Private entities including Business. Therefore, the increase of minimum wage impacts the entire economy, period. There will be a lot of adjustments caused by the minimum wage increase in Hawaii.
Anyone who supported “Fight for $15” needs to think again. This website shows what happens with higher, unearned wages. http://www.facesof15.com/
From the link above – Community favorite Digger’s Deli is what owner Gigi Warshawsky and her husband call “Our American Dream.” Now, she says “raising minimum wage might put us out of business.” The deli has already cut 3 employees in the last year, and the owners are having to pick up extra shifts in their determination “to get more proficient and do more with less” and ultimately avoid closing.
People need to realize that the minimum wage hasn’t kept up with inflation. The lower the wages, the less incentive for these people to even work. The more you pay these guys, the more money gets put back into the economy, and everyone benefits. If you pay as little as possible in order to put most of the profit back into the executive and owners pockets like you see with big corporations, then the money will get stuck in banks and off shore investments and the economy will not improve at all and you’ll see more homeless people wandering the streets who can’t afford to pay rent.
That is correct. I think the minimum wage should be $20+ to fully keep up with inflation over the years. In addition increasing the minimum wage puts the responsibility for fair employment on the business. Expecting your full time employees to also apply for food stamps, is not very kosher. Granted increasing the minimum wage may speed up further automation but this would happen in any event. This is always going to be a problem.
Why stop at $20+ lets just make in $50, you’ll get the same results.
For every election since 1992 I have worked as a precinct elections official, handing out ballots or helping voters who have problems. I am required to work in the polling place from 5:30 AM to 7:00 PM with no “lunch hour” and only short bathroom breaks as needed. That’s 13 and a half hours. At minimum wage of $9.25, my pay should be $125. But actually they pay us only $85. And no pay at all for the mandatory training program of 1-2 hours.
I would work for free because I see it as my citizenship responsibility to give public service for the most fundamental function of a democracy, which is voting. But I deeply resent the hypocrisy of our state government which forces private-sector employers to pay minimum wage to unskilled laborers but then refuses to pay minimum wage to its own employees.
I’ve raised this issue casually and nicely with a few of the elections bureaucrats, but their reply was “Oh this isn’t wages, it’s merely an honorarium for the volunteers.” Hahaha. Let a private sector employer tell that to the wage-and-hour police and see how fast they get sued by the government and/or the HGEA union honchos.
You make a very valid point. Anyway thanks for volunteering. I know its hard work, maybe not hard but not easy but it is very important.
IRT Ken_Conklin, fully agree with your post. In addition, the State has in its Labor Law Section 103 that covers workers in the maintenance and service areas who will receive an increase of some $2.00 an hour plus burden costs. And, you will see a request for increase of wages and benefits in all Collective Bargaining negotiations throughout the State. Most important, watch the Homeless challenge.
I agree with you in a way. There should be a difference between minimum wage and living wage. But the increases to $9.25 and $10.10 are reasonable based on the increases in costs for everything.
Now an increase to $15 like in Seattle. I think that’s insane.
Was at dinner last night at a local favorite. It was very evident how sparse the service staff was as the wait help was left alone to do all the work without any bus help. Our waiter was apologetic because he knew that the service was slow and not to the standard we were accustomed.
Better get used to it…this was not a singular case.
Those in the work force that are unskilled, inexperienced, poorly educated, unmotivated, readily replaceable need a place to start building for their economic future. Minimum wage is a place to start … and sad but true it is not much of a living wage as … especially in Hawaii where the cost of every thing is on the high end. Increased wages unfortunately only accelerates the inflation spiral.
Well the state just made it much more difficult for the unskilled to get a job, why does the state want to make it so difficult for these struggling families?
Unskililed, un educated, un motivtade, dont give a crap! Thats why!
At least taxpayers won’t have to subsidize Walmart as much for paying their workers as little as possible while encouraging their workers to sign up for public assistance in order to give their execs and owners massive bonuses that they don’t need.
If that is so with the public assistance and all I agree. However, I now want more money to do what I do because I had to go to 20 years of schooling and provide experience also to get my currant job with about $35 / hour. I put in the time and paid the education bill so I should get more. If a guy flipping burgers gets $10 / hour I want $40 for what I do.
S/B at least $10 and next year $11until $15 is reached and then reassessed.
So are we going to see less grumpy faces at the fast food places now? Naw, it may be better for a few days but then back to same old same old.
Why stop at $10.10? Make every single worker with a Oahu ID/DL a UNION member and raise it to $50/hr and let them suck the life out of the ERS as they all retire at the age of 55 with self-proclaimed disability! Let the “D” party just drive it self into the ground! I just can’t wait till the corporations sack the masses by replacing them with robots.
You have no idea what you are talking about just shut the f up and grow up!
The work produced should dictate the hourly rate.
Many don’t deserve $1/hr we can start with Krook Caldwell as the first for public review.
You are so full of it.
Raise the minimum wage – the IRS thinks it’s a good idea.
Um no, those kind of wages don’t create any tax liability. This income bracket contributes nothing at all. NONE. In fact, most will get earned income tax credit refunds. Increasing minimum wage will simply raise the bar on the income limits. Same with how everything you buy will just increase in price.