Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 6, 1 Iune 2016 — Why is it that the harder we work, the lesser the pay! How ean we afford live to in Hawaiʻi? And the Renter's Protection guide...to help you know your 'rights'! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Why is it that the harder we work, the lesser the pay! How ean we afford live to in Hawaiʻi? And the Renter's Protection guide...to help you know your 'rights'!

The decline in the fortunes of Hawai'i's families stands in stark contrast to America's experience during the quarter eentury after World War II, a period when the federal government balanced the interests of working Americans and corporate America, and the labor movement was larger and stronger than it is today. As the workforce became more productive andmore efficient, living standards rose evenly across the board and in

line with workers' eeonomie perfonnance. But starting in the mid-1970s, the eonneetion between the compensation of workers and theirproductivity began to fall apart. The only exception, in this regard, were the years in the late 1 990s when persistently low unemployment and fast productivity growth yielded widely shared ineome and pay growth. However, the gap between productivity and pay has been especially pronounced in recent years: although productivity has grown at a historically rapid paee with technology, the wages and compensation our typical worker have not improved. And it's getting worse. Hawaii needs a 'Living Wage,' not a minimum wage hike. This gap between pay and productivity grows as the result of eeonomie and employment policies that shift bargaining power away from the vast majority of us and toward employers and the most well-off. U.S. economy has grown at an annual average rate of slightly over 3 percent a year, but the benefits of this growth have gone overwhelmingly to the richest 10 percent and, among these, to the upper 1 percent. Inequality has risen to heights not seen since before the Great Depression. An America that onee grew together is now growing apart. As incomes become more volatile and access to jobs with good

benefits erodes, Americans are also becoming more economically insecure. The share of workers with employer-provided health insuranee or pensions is falling, and so the government's safety net called Obamacare must catch growing numbers of people even as its ability to do so weakens. We are now faced with challenges in areas of 'affordable housing'..or more like 'affordable rentals'. Because of this, I have added a supplement to my article called the:

EDUCATI0N FUND PROTECTING RENTERS, KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS. . . 1 . If you have never met a potential landlord in person: a) never send them money by wire transfer, and b) never give them private financial information (such as your social security number, bank account numbers, credit card numbers). Beware any potential landlord who makes such requests. 2. Carefully inspect the exact unit that you want to rent, not just a model unit. Open every door and closet, note any odd smells or noises, eheek for deadbolt locks, and confinn there are adequate exits in case of emergency. 3. Read the lease contract carefully to make sure you ean live with everything that is (or isn't) there. If the landlord makes additional promises, they need to be written on the lease document before signing. Never rent without signing a lease. 4. Take video and/or photos of the unit during the walk-through with the landlord. The more photos, the better — if your landlord later tries to withhold your security deposit for existing damage, you will have proof that you were not responsible for it. 5. If you need help with your specific situation, get free legal advice from your loeal branch of the Legal Services Corporation — they frequently specialize in landlord-tenant questions. I hope this article will help you in some way. . . especially knowing your 'rights as a renter', and using this election period to vote for the best candidate that you feel will help our economy. A huihou, Aloha Mai, Trustee Leina'ala ■

Leina'ala Ahu lsa, Ph.D. TrustEE, At-largE

Kaka'ako homeless eneampmenl. - Courtesy Honolulu Civil Eeat.