Faith Action's Living Wage Task Force Shares Strategy

By Rev. Sam Domingo, Living Wage Task Force Chair

We are fully aware of the economic hit our state has taken and that recovery will take a while. We know that the leadership of the Legislature is focused on revenue generation; but our allies in Raise Up Hawaii Coalition want to keep Living Wage before the people and continue to build pressure on the Legislature. We do this through op eds in the paper, cultivating new allies in the Legislature, and identifying and recruiting small business owners to counter the message of the Chamber of Commerce. Also, we seek larger businesses and corporations to add their voice for raising the minimum wage to the level that is a Living Wage.

We plan to identify members in our units who are being paid the present minimum wage and urge them to give their personal testimony. We plan to encourage each member unit to have small group conversations around this issue, and the task force will provide resources to make them effective. We ask for our pastors, lay leaders and church members to contact their legislators to keep this issue before them.

The task force will be meeting regularly on Zoom to coordinate our plans and will communicate our decisions to keep all Faith Action in the know.