Weekly Message from T. J.

Worthy of Hire

Many of us know the reality of living in this place. It comes at a price. For many more of us, the price of living is getting higher and higher while wages are not keeping up. The legislature will look at three proposed bills to address the minimum wage in Hawaii. And there are hearings on three of them tomorrow, Thursday. Our friend and neighbor, Nate Hix of Living Wage Hawaii has asked us to consider attending these hearings and offering testimony online or in person. Some of the most powerful advocacy you can do is right from your computer!

Nate and Living Wage Hawaii have created a fillable (actually, pre-filled) form so that we can easily submit testimony on these bills. Simply click on the link below for access to the form.

https://www.livingwagehawaii.com/labor-testimony

You will see in the pre-filled text that we are asking to add a graduated ramp-up of the living wage to two of the bills that are under consideration. Of course, you are free to write whatever you choose. This is all to achieve a goal of reaching a $17 minimum wage in the foreseeable future. If you want to learn more about this issue before submitting your testimony, you can click here: more info on a living wage.

If you would like to attend the hearings on these three bills, whether to lend your voice to the cause or to support our partners in this important work, here is the information for the hearings tomorrow, Thursday: the House Labor Committee is hearing HB1191 at 9:30am in room 309, and the Senate Labor Committee is hearing SB 789 and SB1248 at 3:00pm in room 224.

Some of the most influential movements in civilization arise from fair treatment and fair wages for labor. And any conversation about fair treatment and fair wages for labor draws from these earth shattering, life altering movements. Whether we draw strength from actions of prophetic persons who led the way toward fairness and justice, wether we draw strength from the writings of some of the world’s most treasured sacred texts, or whether we simply have a sense of fair play, this issue is ripe for engagement now. However you feel, I invite you to lift your fingers to the keyboard, lift your voices at the hearings, and join in the work to lift up every member of our human family.

May it always be so.

Rev. T. J.
minister@unitariansofhi.org