It's common in Hawaii for people to encourage others to "work for the state"
They have good benefits, they say!
Apparently, getting paid fast isn't one of those benefits!
I worked several jobs within the Hawaii state government over the years, mostly in schools and/or libraries.
Both schools and libraries match what I'm passionate about.
But working in state government means you get paid on the 5th and the 20th of the following month!
So if you work within the 1st half of the month, you get paid the 5th of the following month!
Whereas, if you work within the 2nd half of the month, you get paid the 20th of the following month!
And if the person in charge of sending your timesheets to the state's payroll office turns it in late ..... you'll have to wait even longer for your payment.!
Meanwhile, your bill collectors have no interest in waiting for you to turn in your payments on time!
Within the private sector, each organization has their own pay schedule. Some of the ones I worked for (Macy's, Bishop & Co., Kelly Services, HiEmployment) pay on the following week's Friday!
So if I work for the state today (09/25/2024), I'd have to wait until 10/20/2024 (at the earliest) to get paid!
But with those private employers, if I work today, I get paid next week Friday (10/04/2024).
With bills to pay, time is of the essence.
Most private employers understand that.
The state? Not so much!
So much for "the state providing good benefits"
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This issue came up in the news recently because many Hawaii public school teachers stated they didn't get their paychecks on time! Even AFTER the indignity of being forced to wait a month for their paychecks.
From last week's Honolulu Star Advertiser.
Last week the HSTA said it filed a grievance with the DOE after learning that hundreds of teachers had missed at least one paycheck at the beginning of the school year.
my comment: this is bad for veteran teachers, but imagine starting your career like this! Also, imagine dealing with this while having children to raise!
Well, the following teachers don't have to imagine anything, they're living this reality now
Sonya Pinsky, a fourth grade teacher at Voyager Public Charter School, submitted written testimony to the BOE stating that she did not receive her paycheck until Sept. 5, despite having started work in July.
“I was not prepared to go 6 weeks without pay, as most professionals are in Hawai‘i. I struggled to feed myself and was constantly stressed about how I was going to pay bills or rent,” Pinsky wrote.
She explained that the delayed paychecks affected her mental health.
“My first priority are my haumana. However, I cannot do my job effectively, and give the keiki of Hawai‘i all that they deserve, if my most basic needs are not being met. The DOE broke their side of the contract. Had I broken my side, I would have been fired,” she added. “There needs to be consequences and remedies for this unacceptable error."
and this
Another teacher at Kawananakoa Middle School, Jashua Walker, shared in written testimony that he was charged an overdraft fee due to insufficient funds after a dental procedure when his paycheck did not arrive on time.
This jeopardized his ability to cover essential expenses, including credit card and loan payments. Walker wrote that his credit score dropped by nearly 80 points, “severely impacting my financial stability and future creditworthiness.”
“Moreover, the inability to receive my paycheck on time meant that I could not afford basic necessities, such as a bus pass. Consequently, I was forced to walk 77 miles over eleven days from Kaimuki to upper Nuuanu to get to work. This dangerous, physically exhausting and demoralizing experience was a direct result of the delayed paycheck.”
That article inspired to me to write this letter to the editor that got published in today's edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Letter: State must pay teachers on time or risk exodus
Recently, it has been reported that Hawaii’s public school teachers have not received their paychecks on time. Sadly, this is normal for Hawaii state employees who already have to wait a month to get paid for time worked, but also have to wait longer if their time sheets haven’t been turned in on time. This happened to me when I used to be a Department of Education substitute teacher.
I’m currently not working with the state and I’m hesitant to return mostly because of this very issue. Private employers tend to pay faster (my current employer pays me the following week’s Friday), which is great because the sooner I get paid, the sooner I can pay my bill collectors.If the state wants to recruit and retain talent, it needs to start paying them faster. Otherwise, we will continue to take our talents to the private sector.Pablo Wegesend
And here's the letter as printed in the newspaper
But changing the rules will be easier than putting them into practice through DHS’ antiquated 1980s-era information system, DHS told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser later Monday.
[my comment: did they just say "1980s-era information system]
In a texted statement, DHS officials said they are working on a plan.
They first have to assess the ability of the department’s Hawaii Automated Welfare Information eligibility system to adapt to the changes.
The HAWI system, as it’s known at DHS, “may not be able to support this policy change without significant modifications,” DHS said. “DHS is also currently working on the development of a new eligibility system to replace HAWI; however, the new system is still in the testing and development (sic) we are working with our vendor to implement as soon as possible hopefully having it ready by early 2025.”
The 1980s ended on December 31, 1989 at 23:59.
This is 2024! It takes the state government 34 years to update a computer system!
People who weren't even born yet in the 1980s have access to a more updated computer system in their pockets.
But it takes the state DECADES to feel the urgency to update it's computer system?
Any private business that shows that much negligence with their technology would've been out of business a long time ago!
And that's the problem, the state government doesn't have to feel the urgency to update anything!
And it's the vulnerable people that is harmed by all this!
