Should we increase our minimum wage?

An expert on Seattle's experience will address 2 Hawaii events

From Grassroot Institute

HONOLULU, Feb. 23, 2020 >> Proposals to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage are back on the docket at the state Legislature, in an effort to make our state more affordable. And who doesn’t want that? It’s an attractive idea, but what could go wrong?

To help answer that question, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is sponsoring two luncheons in March at which Jacob Vigdor, a professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington, will talk about what resulted in Seattle after 2014 when it became the first big city in the United States to start raising its minimum wage over a period of several years to $15 an hour.

Vigdor and his colleagues conducted a comprehensive analysis of the city’s new wage structure and found that the costs outweighed the benefits.

If you would like to hear more about how minimum-wage legislation harms the very people it is meant to help, and what Hawaii lawmakers could be recommending instead to bring down Hawaii’s high cost of living, please join us for these two important events. Both will be moderated by Keli'i Akina, president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

The first of the two luncheons is scheduled for Monday, March 23, at Cafe Julia in the Honolulu YWCA, 1040 Richards St. Admission is $25 and includes a luncheon buffet. Paid parking will be available at Ali‘i Place. 

The second is on Tuesday, March 24, at the Maui Country Club in Paia. Admission is $10 and includes a luncheon buffet and parking.

For more information, please call 808-591-9193 or email info@grassrootinstitute.org.

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UPDATE: Jacob Vigdor presentations will be via teleconference

HONOLULU, March 8, 2020 >> Out of an abundance of caution due to the coronavirus, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has decided to use teleconference technology for its two luncheon presentations in Hawaii this month by minimum-wage expert Jacob Vigdor.

The University of Washington professor of public policy and governance will talk about what resulted in Seattle after it started in 2014 to raise its minimum wage over a period of several years to $15 an hour, and those in attendance will still be able to interact with him in real time, thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

A similar event in February, featuring economist Dan Mitchell from Washington, D.C., was converted to a teleconference for the same reason, and it turned out to be quite successful.

The two events featuring Vigdor will still take place on the same dates and at the same venues as originally planned:

>> Monday, March 23 at Cafe Julia in the Honolulu YWCA, 1040 Richards St.

>> Tuesday, March 24, at the Maui Country Club in Paia.

Keli'i Akina, president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, will be moderator of the two events, and Vigdor's presentations are still expected to be exciting and informative.

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The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational institution that seeks to lower the cost of living and increase opportunities in Hawaii by promoting individual liberty, economic freedom and limited, accountable government. 

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