HONOLULU — Hawaii House members put forward a new minimum wage plan Thursday that would allow most employers in the state to take a longer time to increase wages. ADVERTISING HONOLULU — Hawaii House members put forward a new minimum
HONOLULU — Hawaii House members put forward a new minimum wage plan Thursday that would allow most employers in the state to take a longer time to increase wages.
In the new proposal presented to a conference committee of Senate and House members, employers with fewer than 100 employees — most employers in the state — would not have to pay $10 an hour until 2019, phasing in the increase over five years.
“It’s a step backward,” said Democratic Sen. Clayton Hee, chairman of the Senate contingent of the conference committee.
The Senate had wanted to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour in three years, but the House had proposed raising it to $10 an hour over four years. Lawmakers from both chambers are now hashing out the differences in a conference committee. The latest proposal was drafted by the House members on that committee.
Representatives on the House side did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
