Gov. Neil Abercrombie told Oahu Democrats on Saturday that it was a "shameful thing" the state Legislature failed to pass a minimum-wage increase.
The state’s $7.25-an-hour wage for the lowest-paid workers has not been raised since 2007. Lawmakers considered gradually raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour by January 2017, but negotiations between the state House and Senate broke down over how much to expand the 25-cent tip credit deducted from workers such as waiters, waitresses, bellhops and bartenders.
The Senate, responding to concerns about a minimum-wage increase by the Hawaii Restaurant Association and other business interests, proposed to expand the tip credit to $2, which would have effectively erased the pay raise for workers who earn tips.
Abercrombie, who had called for raising the minimum wage in his State of the State address in January, said it would be a top priority next session.
"The tip credit argument was a red herring, a Trojan horse brought in to undermine the fact that the minimum wage was under assault right from the very beginning," the governor told Oahu Democrats at their convention at Aloha Stadium. "This is the Democratic Party. We look out for those whose labor is worthy of our support."
The governor said "corporations don’t have any problem being heard in the halls" of the Legislature.
Abercrombie also urged Democrats to support marriage equality. The governor has chosen not to defend the state’s marriage law in a federal lawsuit by gay couples who argue that it is discriminatory because it denies same-sex couples the ability to marry, although the state Department of Health is defending the law.
Abercrombie has not submitted a gay-marriage bill to the Legislature, and his advisers say he will wait to see how the U.S. Supreme Court rules this summer on two cases related to marriage equality before deciding how to proceed next session.
"We need to get in line with the rest of the country and see to it that we bring that to fruition," he said.
Oahu Democrats approved five resolutions on Saturday that show their frustration with Democrats who control the Legislature but fail to advance the party’s platform and agenda. The resolutions cite the failure to pass a minimum-wage increase, marriage equality, the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana, expanded public financing of elections, and an extension of a news media shield law.
John Radcliffe, one of the state’s most influential lobbyists, was able to persuade convention delegates to soften the language of the resolutions from "expressing disappointment" with the Legislature to working with lawmakers on the issues, but the sentiment was unmistakable, part of the chasm between party activists and elected Democrats.
Bart Dame, a progressive activist behind several of the resolutions, diplomatically said it was "less than a perfect session for many of us."
Oahu Democrats also elected Joshua Wisch, an attorney who works at the state Department of Taxation, as their new chairman. Wisch was a former aide to U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, when Hirono served in the U.S. House. He replaces Tony Gill, an attorney who resigned to concentrate on a lawsuit that Democrats plan to file challenging the state’s open primary system.
The convention was the first time U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa shared an audience since Hanabusa formally announced this month that she would challenge Schatz in the Democratic primary next year.
Hanabusa, who did not attend in person but recorded a video, described the party as a "big tent" where Democrats agree on core values but let diversity flourish. She said she does not think a primary will divide the party.
"We discuss our differences openly, we show respect for our opponents, and we let the voters decide," she said. "It is the Democratic way, democratic with a big ‘D’ and a small ‘D,’ to step out of the back room and stand before the public, expressing our opinions and asking for support. That makes us stronger. It makes us responsive to the real needs and the real concerns of our state. And it will never drive us apart."
Schatz, who appeared at the convention and received a standing ovation, invoked the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s slogan, "an injury to one is an injury to all," to urge Democrats to stand together on issues such as equal rights, climate change, protecting seniors and economic opportunity.
"I want you to know that every day that I’m in the United States Senate, I’m thinking about you — every single one of you personally — your priorities, your communities, but most of all, our shared values," he told delegates. "So I’ve got your back, and I hope you have mine."
