Mahalo to the legislators who supported Senate Bill 1057!

SB 1057 requires pay transparency; prohibits wage discrimination in protected classes; and requires equal pay for substantially similar work by employers with 50 or more employees.

While this puts Hawaii in good company with the many other states with such transparency laws, the journey to pay equity is far from over. We must recover falling from 89% in 2019 to 80% in 2021 (84% national average).

While worthwhile, SB 1057, effective Jan. 1, 2024, leaves out many Hawaii workers, mostly in small businesses. I understand the significant challenges faced by our small businesses and also understand the costs of not addressing pay equity.

Employers share with me hiring challenges with potential employees asking about pay equity, their concerns about employee retention, and the related cost of training new employees. What more can we do to support our workforce?

Nancy Rustad

Kamuela, Hawaii island

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