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Sam Slom, a state senator and president of Small Business Hawaii, and Ah Quon McElrath, a labor activist and University of Hawaii regent, debated the role of unions in Hawaii's economy and political life. The concrete question at issue is whether Hawaii's strong union presence has harmed or protected the state's economic prospects and working families. Slom argued that public employee unions, in particular, have driven up the cost of government, suppressed private enterprise, and contributed to the decline of the sugar and pineapple industries by demanding wages and benefits that made agriculture uncompetitive. He contended that unions exercise political influence disproportionate to their membership, shaping legislation to the detriment of small businesses and taxpayers. McElrath disputed this account, maintaining that external forces—global trade policies, corporate decisions, and the inherent disadvantages of island geography—were primarily responsible for Hawaii's economic difficulties. She held that unions remain the only effective vehicle through which workers can exercise collective power over their conditions, and that without them, workers would be returned to the exploitation of the plantation era.
Transcript
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Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
