A Case Study of Labor Rights in Hawaii: Comparing the Public and Private Sector and the Expected Impact of Trump's Labor Agenda

This research examines the contemporary challenges of labor rights in Hawai'i by contextualizing current political developments within the island's long history of labor struggles. Hawai'i's labor movement emerged in response to the exploitative plantation economy that began under a colonial hierarchy and grew under the dominance of large corporations. Despite oppression from the ruling class of plantation owners, labor organizing grew into a movement highlighted by major post-World War II strikes. These efforts helped dismantle the plantation's socially stratified labor system and ushered in important reforms. As a result of this legacy, Hawai'i has the highest unionization rate of any American state and organized labor continues to play a central role in shaping government policies surrounding worker protections. With this historical context in mind, my research examines how Hawai'i's labor movement may be affected by the anti-working class labor agenda proposed by the current presidential administration, with a specific focus on the union-busting policy proposals outlined in Project 2025. Using a mixed methods approach (including the surveying of historical documentary sources and media/news outlet releases, as well as administering survey interviews) this research investigates the perspectives of union representatives from six major labor organizations on Oʻahu, including three public-sector unions and three private-sector unions. Ultimately, this study highlights the resilience of Hawaiʻi's labor organizations and their ongoing role in defending worker protections in the face of shifting national labor policies.