Hawaii Employment Law Basics
Hawaii Employment Law Basics: Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Hawaii Law
Under Hawaii State law, HRS Chapter 378, sexual orientation is defined as having a preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality; having a history of any one or more of these preferences; or being identified with any one or more of these preferences. Hawaii employment law expressly prohibits employment discrimination and harassment because of sexual orientation. [...]
Hawaii Employment Law Basics: Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Generally, recovery under Hawaii’s workers’ compensation law is an employee’s exclusive remedy for work-related injuries or diseases. However, an employee generally cannot sue his or her employer or a co-worker for damages resulting from occupational injuries caused by the employer’s or co-worker’s negligence. This does not necessarily preclude injuries resulting from intentional acts, for example. [...]
Whistleblower Protection Under Hawaii Law
Under Hawaii law, HRS § 378-62, an employer is prohibited from threatening to discharge, discharging, or otherwise discriminating against any employee or a person acting on behalf of the employee, who is a whistleblower. Specifically, Hawaii’s whistleblower statute provides: “§378-62 Discharge of, threats to, or discrimination against employee for reporting violations of law. An employer [...]
Hawaii Law Amended to Prohibit Gender Identity Discrimination
Hawaii became the 13th U.S. state to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity after Governor Neil Abercrombie signed a new employment discrimination bill into law on May 10th 2011. House Bill 546 prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in employment and as a matter of public policy. While the [...]
Hawaii Employment Law Basics: Payment of Wages
Hawaii’s Payment of Wages law, HRS Chapter 388, unlike the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, does not address the minimum amount per hour employees should be paid or circumstances under which overtime pay is earned. Rather, HRS Chapter 388 addresses how [...]
