Hawaiʻi Workers Center
The Hawaiʻi Workers Center is a Honolulu-based nonprofit advocacy and organizing center founded in 2020 that provides free workers' rights trainings, unemployment, wage-theft, immigration and housing assistance, and coalition-driven legislative advocacy for low-wage workers, immigrants and tipped workers across Hawaiʻi.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersHonolulu, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hawaiʻi Workers Center does
The Hawaiʻi Workers Center (HWC) is a Honolulu-based 501(c)-style nonprofit resource and organizing center founded on May 1, 2020 (International Workers Day). It serves low-wage workers, immigrants (including COFA migrants), tipped service workers, unemployed workers, and Maui wildfire survivors across the Hawaiian islands, with primary operations on Oʻahu and Maui and virtual support extending to all islands. HWC delivers an integrated advocacy stack rather than a technology product: Know Your Workers' Rights trainings, Workers' Victory Celebration/Reception events, the Maui Tenants and Workers Association (rental assistance, mediation, renters rights training, legal aid), the COFA Workers Association of Honolulu (founded December 2021 with 23 members), Workers Association Organizing, Legislative Advocacy, the Solidarity Force pledge program, and resource hubs covering unemployment insurance, wage theft, immigration, health and safety, EITC, and Medicaid renewal.
The organization's value proposition rests on direct multilingual services, coalition organizing, and policy advocacy. HWC coordinates the 19-member Coalition to Defend and Respect Hawaiʻi's Workers (UNITE HERE Local 5, Hawaii Nurses Association, Living Wage Hawaii, Hawaiʻi Appleseed, Raise Up Hawaiʻi, and 14 others) and is the only dedicated Hawaii nonprofit centered on low-wage and immigrant workers, embedding two COFA organizers (Lauren Taijeron, Enerita Kovac) on staff and crediting itself with legislative wins including HB2510/Act 114 (phased minimum wage increase to $18/hour by 2028 with a permanent state EITC) and ongoing campaigns on tip penalty elimination (HB1288/SB270) and graduate-assistant collective bargaining rights (HB1531). Revenue mechanics are pure nonprofit: individual donations (tiered $20/month to $500, with designated program gifts such as $50 for the Maui Renter's Hotline and $250 for the youth leadership academy), foundation grants (notably the $1.5M Stupski Foundation award announced November 24, 2025, split across five organizations), and contributed labor through partner organizations — all services to workers are provided free of charge.
Hawaiʻi Workers Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hawaiʻi Workers Center
- Legal name
- Hawai'i Workers Center
- Website
- https://hawaiiworkerscenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Hawaiʻi Workers Center is a Honolulu-based nonprofit advocacy and organizing center founded in 2020 that provides free workers' rights trainings, unemployment, wage-theft, immigration and housing assistance, and coalition-driven legislative advocacy for low-wage workers, immigrants and tipped workers across Hawaiʻi.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hawaiʻi Workers Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Worker Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (813930)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- HR Compliance, Employment Law & Employee Relations Training (EDABAIAE)
Keywords
Where Hawaiʻi Workers Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Honolulu
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hawaiʻi Workers Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: The organization relies on donations from individuals and grants from foundations. Donation tiers range from $20/month to $500, with specific amounts tied to program support (e.g., $50 for Maui Tenants and Workers Association Renter's Hotline, $250 for youth leadership academy). Received $1.5 million grant from Stupski Foundation with four other organizations for immigrant community support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hawaiʻi Workers Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Hawaiʻi Workers Center is a nonprofit resource and organizing center that delivers free workers' rights education, direct assistance with unemployment insurance claims and appeals, wage theft recovery support, immigration-related legal information, and tenant protection services to low-wage and immigrant workers in Hawaiʻi. It organizes workers into associations (such as the COFA Workers Association of Honolulu and the Maui Tenants and Workers Association), runs Know Your Workers' Rights trainings in multiple languages, and conducts legislative advocacy at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature on minimum wage, unemployment reform, and worker safety.
Product overview
The Hawaiʻi Workers Center (HWC) is a non-profit resource and organizing center for low-wage workers and immigrants, launched on May 1, 2020. Rather than a technology platform, HWC offers an integrated suite of advocacy programs and services including: Know Your Workers' Rights Trainings (education on workplace legal rights), the Workers' Victory Celebration (annual recognition events), Maui Tenants and Workers Association (housing and tenant advocacy), COFA Workers Association of Honolulu (immigrant worker organizing), Workers Association Organizing (collective workplace advocacy), Legislative Advocacy (lobbying and testimony for workers' rights bills), Solidarity Force (strike support mobilization), and comprehensive Resources covering unemployment insurance, wage theft, immigration, health & safety, and Medicaid renewal. HWC also provides direct support for disaster recovery efforts, particularly for communities affected by the 2023 Maui wildfires.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Solidarity Force: A program to mobilize community support for workers' campaigns in Hawai'i through pledging to stand up for workers on strike
- Maui Tenants and Workers Resources
- Kōkua Fund
- Imua Youth Leadership Academy
Products and services
- Know Your Workers' Rights Trainings Free multilingual training sessions that educate low-wage and immigrant workers about their legal rights in the workplace, including topics on wages, health and safety, unemployment benefits, and immigration-related issues.
- COFA Workers Association of Honolulu A workers' association for COFA (Compact of Free Association) migrants organizing around individual and collective workers' rights, including minimum wage, workers' compensation, health and safety, and wage theft.
- Maui Tenants and Workers Association An association providing resources, rental assistance, mediation, renters' rights training, and legal aid to Maui tenants and workers, particularly those displaced or affected by the August 2023 Maui wildfires.
- Workers Association Organizing Organizing service that helps workers build associations to collectively advocate for workplace rights, fight wage theft, and improve working conditions.
- Legislative Advocacy Advocacy program including lobbying, submitting testimony, and campaigning for workers' rights legislation at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature on minimum wage, unemployment insurance reform, tip penalty elimination, and worker safety.
- Solidarity Force A mobilization program that engages community members to pledge support for workers' campaigns in Hawaiʻi, including standing with workers on strike.
- Workers' Victory Celebration Annual celebration event recognizing workers' victories and achievements in advocacy campaigns for labor rights in Hawaiʻi.
- Unemployment Insurance Assistance Training and resources to help workers navigate unemployment insurance claims, appeals, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations system, including in-person filing support and benefits resolution.
- Wage Theft Resources Resources to help workers identify and address wage theft, including unpaid wages, overtime violations, and below-minimum-wage compensation, including referral to legal aid partners.
- Immigration Resources Multilingual information about unemployment benefits eligibility for immigrants, public charge rules, and federal relief programs available to immigrants regardless of work authorization status.
- Health & Safety Training Training on workplace health and safety concerns, including COVID-19 Know Your Rights materials and broader workplace safety guidance for workers.
- Medicaid Renewal Assistance Assistance helping workers understand and complete Medicaid eligibility renewals to maintain healthcare coverage.
- COVID-19 Resources Resources addressing COVID-19 impact on workers, including unemployment insurance, health and safety training, and advocacy for worker protections during the pandemic.
- Worker Resources Library Centralized information and guidance on Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Unemployment, Immigration, Wage Theft, Health and Safety Concerns, and Medicaid Renewal, with resources consistently updated for workers to learn about organizing and protections.
- Kōkua Fund Emergency fund established to support workers impacted by disasters in Hawaiʻi, initially activated for Kona Low storm flooding response.
- Imua Youth Leadership Academy Summer youth leadership development program operated by the Hawaiʻi Workers Center to develop the next generation of worker advocates.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully advocated for minimum wage increase to $18/hour by 2028 through HB2510 (Act 114), including permanent fully-refundable state EITC
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hawaiʻi Workers Center
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hawaiʻi Workers Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hawaiʻi Workers Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Coalition to Defend and Respect Hawaiʻi's WorkerscoreA coalition of 19 labor organizations, unions and community groups including UNITE HERE Local 5, Hawaii Nurses Association, Living Wage Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed, Raise Up Hawaii, and many others. The coalition works jointly on campaigns including minimum wage increases, unemployment insurance reform, worker safety, and Red Hill shutdown advocacy.
- COFA Workers Association of HonolulucoreFounded on December 18, 2021 by 23 members. The Hawaiʻi Workers Center helped establish this association which organizes around individual and collective workers rights issues including minimum wage, workers comp, health & safety, and wage theft. COFA organizers Lauren Taijeron and Enerita Kovac are based at the center.
- Raise Up HawaiʻicoreCoalition partner in minimum wage advocacy. Successfully worked with Raise Up Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Appleseed to pass HB2510 increasing minimum wage to $18 by 2028. Jointly organized rallies and legislative campaigns.
- Hawaiʻi AppleseedcoreCoalition partner focused on economic justice. Collaborated on minimum wage campaign and immigrant worker support initiatives. Hawaiʻi Appleseed provides resources for immigrants including federal relief program information.
- Living Wage HawaiʻicoreCoalition partner advocating for living wages in Hawaiʻi. Participated in minimum wage campaigns, Red Hill shutdown advocacy, and broader workers' rights coalition activities.
- UNITE HERE Local 5coreHotel workers union and key coalition partner. Jointly organized May Day marches, Workers Victory Celebrations, and Hilton Hotel strike support campaigns in 2024.
- Hawaiʻi Nurses Association (OPEIU Local 50)coreNursing union and coalition member. Honored at Workers Victory Reception 2023 alongside National Union of Healthcare Workers. Collaborated on healthcare worker advocacy including COVID protections and safe staffing.
- National Union of Healthcare WorkerscoreHealthcare workers union and coalition member. Honored at Workers Victory Reception 2023 alongside Hawaiʻi Nurses Association. Center supported NUHW strike fund and helped organize Kapiʻolani Medical Center nurse demonstrations.
- Legal Aid Society of HawaiʻimajorPartnered with Legal Aid Society's Hanahana Justice Project for wage theft legal services. Jointly organized Kiaʻi expungement clinics to help activists clear arrest records. Legal aid provides attorney support for workers in need.
- Academic Labor United (ALU)coreUniversity of Hawaiʻi graduate assistant union. Center provided testimony supporting HB1531 to grant collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants. Ongoing advocacy for academic workers' rights.
- Aloha Free ClinicminorFree medical clinic for unemployed and uninsured patients. Referenced as resource for immigrant workers and low-wage workers lacking health coverage during COVID-19 pandemic.
- One Fair Wage CampaignmajorNational campaign to eliminate subminimum wage for tipped workers. Hawaiʻi Workers Center partnered with One Fair Wage to support HB1288 and SB270 to eliminate the tip penalty in Hawaiʻi.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hawaiʻi Workers Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Interfaith Worker Justice: National network of faith-based worker centers and labor coalitions supporting low-wage workers' rights. Closely mirrors HWC's worker center model and coalition-based advocacy approach, though organized around faith-community partnerships.
- A Better Balance: National nonprofit legal and policy advocacy organization focused on workplace fairness for low-wage workers, immigrants, and families. Comparable to HWC's mix of legal resources, policy advocacy, and Know Your Rights-style training delivery.
- National Employment Law Project (NELP): National nonprofit advocacy organization focused on improving worker rights, wages, and workplace protections for low-wage workers. Highly comparable to HWC's policy advocacy and coalition-building model, but operating at the national level rather than a single state.
- Working Partnerships USA: San Jose-based nonprofit that organizes low-wage and immigrant workers, conducts policy advocacy, and builds labor-community coalitions in the Bay Area. Closely mirrors HWC's model of combining direct worker organizing with legislative campaigns on minimum wage and worker protections.
- Jobs With Justice: National coalition of labor and community organizations working to improve working conditions through organizing and policy advocacy. Direct analog to HWC's coalition-anchored model, but operating nationally across multiple local affiliates.
- 9to5 (National Association of Working Women): National grassroots membership organization mobilizing low-wage workers, particularly women, for economic justice. Comparable to HWC in constituency focus and coalition-based advocacy, with deeper national infrastructure.
- Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice: Hawaii-based policy and advocacy nonprofit focused on economic justice for low- and moderate-income families. Direct local peer and coalition partner of HWC, sharing overlapping campaigns on minimum wage and immigrant worker support.
- Raise Up Hawaii: Hawaii-based grassroots advocacy coalition working on minimum wage and worker protections. Coalition partner of HWC and the most direct local peer in terms of shared campaigns and constituency focus.
Emerging players
- Center for Urban Economic Development: University-based research and advocacy center focused on low-wage and immigrant worker issues. Adjacent to HWC's work through research and policy analysis rather than direct organizing, providing comparable thought-leadership positioning.
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: National advocacy organization representing nannies, housecleaners, and care workers on labor protections. Comparable constituency overlap (low-wage, immigrant, women workers) but focused specifically on domestic work rather than HWC's broader cross-industry scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hawaiʻi Workers Center social profiles
Digital presenceHawaiʻi Workers Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hawaiʻi Workers Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Hawaiʻi Workers Center subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Hawaiʻi Workers Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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Hawaiʻi Workers Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hawaiʻi Workers Center
What does Hawaiʻi Workers Center do?
The Hawaiʻi Workers Center is a nonprofit resource and organizing center that delivers free workers' rights education, direct assistance with unemployment insurance claims and appeals, wage theft recovery support, immigration-related legal information, and tenant protection services to low-wage and immigrant workers in Hawaiʻi. It organizes workers into associations (such as the COFA Workers Association of Honolulu and the Maui Tenants and Workers Association), runs Know Your Workers' Rights trainings in multiple languages, and conducts legislative advocacy at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature on minimum wage, unemployment reform, and worker safety.
Is Hawaiʻi Workers Center a public or private company?
Hawaiʻi Workers Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hawaiʻi Workers Center founded?
Hawaiʻi Workers Center was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hawaiʻi Workers Center based?
Hawaiʻi Workers Center is headquartered in Honolulu, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hawaiʻi Workers Center make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are Hawaiʻi Workers Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Interfaith Worker Justice, A Better Balance, National Employment Law Project (NELP), Working Partnerships USA, Jobs With Justice, 9to5 (National Association of Working Women), Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice and Raise Up Hawaii. Emerging players are Center for Urban Economic Development and National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Does Hawaiʻi Workers Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hawaiʻi Workers Center.
What industry is Hawaiʻi Workers Center in?
Hawaiʻi Workers Center's product category is Nonprofit Worker Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAH, Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy, with a secondary code of EDABAIAE, HR Compliance, Employment Law & Employee Relations Training. Its NAICS code is 813930 and its SIC code is 8600.