Wage and Hour Co-Chair Reflects on 2022 Legislative Action

In an interview with Law360, Kathleen Caminiti reflects on the lack of movement regarding wages at the federal level, and she notes that states have been filling the gap when it comes to legislative action. When discussing Hawaii’s $18 hourly statewide minimum wage, she explains that inflation is driving the higher statewide numbers, both in terms of automatic increases to minimum wages and interest by the general population in higher wages, and she points out that having to pay these higher wages will obviously have an impact on employers.

"It's a huge pressure for employers to balance the increased labor costs, which very often are their singular highest cost. It leads to higher costs and maybe a shift in the workforce, so you may see layoffs, you may see more automation," said Kathleen.

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