October Furlough Fridays

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will be closed on October 23, and October 30, 2009, due to a furlough as agreed with the HGEA and the Governor as a result of the current economic situation in Hawaii.

Columbus Day - Not a State Holiday

This is a reminder for contractors and subcontractors working on state and county public works projects. Columbus Day, October 12, 2009, is not a State holiday and therefor mechanics and laborers working on the public site can be paid straight time. When submitting your certified payroll this week for last week's work, be sure and check your records, this is one holiday that doesn't pay overtime.

Itemizing Fringe Benefits on Certified Payrolls

Act 10, First Special Session 2009, became effective October 1, 2009. This means that anyone submitting a certified payroll on a public works job subject to Chapter 104, Hawaii Revised Statutes, now has to provide an itemized list of the fringe benefits paid to laborers and mechanics along with their certified payroll. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) worked with the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) to adapt a form currently being used by DAGS on public works construction.

The Public Works Division of DAGS has numerous forms available on their website arranged according to the stage of construction. The adapted form for Act 10 is an xcel file found under "Ongoing Construction" on the Public Works Administration of Construction Page and is called "Statement of Compliance and DAGS ECP for Payroll Affidavits". http://hawaii.gov/pwd/Members/ib/forms/index_html. The DAGS adapted form is actually four worksheets.

Act 10 only pertains to the worksheet of the adapted form labeled "Weekly Statement of Compliance" which lists the itemized fringe benefits. The Certifited Payroll worksheet form is unchanged. WSD will be focusing their educational efforts in the comming months on this issue as well as some of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) issues.

How Four-Day Weeks Work | GOVERNING

How Four-Day Weeks Work | GOVERNING

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Thought this article had some interesting information and wanted to keep it on the forefront for any discussions down the road.

Unemployment rate revealed in teen labor permits issued.

Wage Standards had issued close to 12,000 work permits in Fiscal Year 2007 and 2008to minors under the age of 18. The busiest period is the time just before and right after school lets out for the summer. This summer we saw almost a 30% decrease in the permits issued in the last quarter of the fiscal year which ends on June 30. Comments from parents and teens indicate that teens are feeling the same pain as their parents. Although they wanted to work and submitted numerous job applications, they weren't getting the call backs.

Feds Match Hawaii's Minimum Wage

Last month's increase in the federal minimum wage to $7.25, doesn't affect Hawaii employees because our minimum wage has been $7.25 since January 1, 2007. Minimum wage in the Territory of Hawaii was first determined in 1942, four years after a federal minimum wage was introduced. Originally, there was a higher standard for Oahu than the Neighbor Islands, but a State standard has been in place since 1958. Federal law allows the States to set a higher minimum wage if they choose. Before 1992 Hawaii was setting standards to catch up with increasing federal standards. From 1992 to July 24, 2009, Hawaii's minimum wage was higher than the federal standard. For a short history on the Hawaii minimum wage go to: http://hawaii.gov/labor/rs/a-short-history-of-the-minimum-wage

Looking for new paths

Everyone is talking about how the recent economy is hurting our operations. The Wage Standards Office is interested in weathering this storm and looking around for a new way to reach employees and employers. We'll be posting articles and comments that we think will be of interest to the people we serve-the general public. We look forward to a continuing dialogue.