Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter Weekend.

I am hoping we can all pull together for a moment today and tomorrow in support of those in our community and their families who struggle daily, just to make ends meet.

Please if you can, read this excellent piecein Civil Beat, How Would Queen Liliuokalani And Father Damien Legislate? by Dawn Morais Webster

Please also forward it to your friends, family and to legislators as well –today if you can.

My hope is that you share my belief that if a person works hard and puts in their 40 hours per week, they deserve a wage that will provide them with a dry safe place to live, 3 meals a day and basic medical care.

My further hope is that you will join with me in calling your District Representative and Senator this Easter weekend.

Please call and ask them to support increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage to at least $15 per hour, for ALL workers– and put them on the path to a basic living wage of $17.

It’s an easy call to make. You will probably get voice mail and then the Senator and Representative will be greeted on Monday morning by your message,and the message hopefully of hundreds others.

Polite and professional please!

In addition to calling YOUR Senator and Representative, please also call the following who are members of the conference committee for SB789. 

Remember, polite and professional but firm – $15 passed this year for ALL workers.

REPRESENTATIVES Johanson (586-9470); Luke (586-6200), Cullen (586-8490) and Matsumoto (586-9490) and SENATORS Taniguchi (586-6460), Keith-Agaran (586-7344), and Fevella (586-6360)

Polite and professional but firm.

Let’s make this effort together, this weekend to help working people through-out all Hawaii.  These Senators and Representatives have already voted in support of various minimum wage bills several times this session. We are asking them now to move a strong bill to the floor for the critical and all important final vote.

Please treat them as friends and allies. Appeal to their higher angels, and ask them to do the right thing and pass a strong measure THIS YEAR.

If you presently earn less than $15 per hour, please let them know.  If you are a Democrat, please also let them know and remind them that supporting $15 per hour and living wage legislation are top priorities for the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

If you live in their district, also please let them know that as well as this makes your voice and opinion even stronger.

To locate the name and contact information for your district and for all Senatorsand Representatives, just click on the highlighted preceding links.

Mahalo to all for taking this extra step over this very special weekend.

Sincerely,

Gary Hooser http://www.garyhooser.com

Executive Director, Pono Hawaii Initiative (PHI)