Effective January 1, 2024: Changes to Regular-Status, Student Assistant, and Non-Recruited Employees Pay Schedules (Adjusted in Relation to Hawai‘i State Minimum Wage Increase)

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

TO:                 Principal Investigators, Project Staff, and Fiscal Administrators

Effective January 1, 2024, the Hawai‘i State Minimum Wage will increase from $12.00 per hour to $14.00

per hour. There are subsequent increases to the minimum wage through the year 2028 as outlined below:

Effective DateMinimum Wage
January 1, 2026$16.00 per hour
January 1, 2028$18.00 per hour

As a result, RCUH will implement the below changes to remain in compliance and maintain labor market competitiveness.

Student Assistant Pay Schedule and Non-Recruited Employees (Intermittent and Temporary status):

Historically, the RCUH Student Assistant Pay Schedule aligns with the University of Hawai‘i (UH) Student Pay Schedule. The new minimum pay rate at the entry level (A1-1) is $14.50/hour. Effective January 1, 2024, RCUH will adjust pay rates for all active Student Assistants, in accordance with their current pay grade and step. No action is needed from the PIs/projects.

The established Student Assistant Pay Schedule reflects pay rates for subsequent changes in 2026 and 2028. Similar notices and actions regarding the pay adjustment process will be communicated and initiated to comply with the pay schedule. 

All Non-Recruited employees (Intermittent and Temporary status) must be compensated at least $14.50 per hour, consistent with the minimum pay rate for Regular-Status employees and Student Assistants.

RCUH Human Resources will identify current Non-Recruited employees who are making below $14.50 per hour and work with the Principal Investigators to adjust their pay rates to ensure compliance with the new minimum pay rate.

Regular-Status Pay Schedule (Non-Exempt and Exempt):

RCUH Human Resources has reviewed and adjusted the Regular-Status Non-Exempt and Exempt Pay Schedule in relation to the January 1, 2024 minimum wage increase. Please refer to policy 3.330 RCUH Pay Schedules for the updated pay schedule. Compliance with the updated Pay Schedule will be implemented in two phases:

  1. Effective January 1, 2024:
    1. Current employees: All Regular-Status employees earning less than $14.50 per hour must receive a pay adjustment to meet the new minimum pay rate on the pay schedule. RCUH Human Resources will identify current employees who are making below $14.50 per hour and work with the Principal Investigators to adjust their pay rates to ensure compliance with the new minimum pay rate.
    1. Pending recruitments and new hires: All new hires must conform with the new minimums of the applicable job’s pay range.
  • Principal Investigators with current employees making above minimum pay rate, but, do not currently meet the new minimum of their job’s applicable pay range will have the following options:
    • Provide equity adjustment for current employee upon recruitment for additional position (new hires will be subject to the updated pay schedule).
    • Effective no later than January 31, 2025: If no additional positions are recruited for, PIs will have until January 31, 2025 to provide a pay adjustment to employees to meet the new minimum of the pay range.
    • Should Principal Investigators have budgetary constraints, they may request that the employee’s job description be re-evaluated to a lower pay range or converted to a Non-Exempt (eligible for overtime) status.

Please contact the staff below if you have any questions: