“Local Jobs for Local People” is a call to action to all Hawaii residents, from any union and any business sector who believe in getting Hawaii back to work. This campaign was created during a time of crisis and high unemployment in the state to expose the fact that local people are losing local jobs to companies from the mainland.

The campaign launched with a 30-second television commercial that exposes how Hawaii workers lost out on approximately $10 million on the first phase of the Aloha Stadium renovation. The total construction cost for the renovation of Aloha Stadium is upwards of $150 million and will continue until 2015.  Let’s hope local workers are given a chance or Hawaii’s taxes will be drained 2,500 miles across the Pacific to the mainland until 2015.

Currently, there are no protective strategies helping Hawaii companies on public bids. Lowest bid wins.

“Well,” you may say, “if a mainland company has the lowest bid, why not! It’ll make local companies more competitive.”

Sometimes, lowest bid should not always win. What are the social and economic costs to our community when Hawaii taxes are siphoned out of state? How do we measure the emotional and social damage when the pressures of joblessness set in? How much more are we paying, in addition to the construction costs, for the burden of extra social services, unemployment and hopelessness?

Sometimes, lowest bid isn’t worth it.

The end goals for the “Local Jobs for Local People” campaign is to raise public awareness that local jobs are being lost to interlopers from the mainland. Rape and pillage; Hawaii’s been there before. And to fight for procurement and regulatory changes in the legislature as to how bids and contracts are written and awarded to ensure a constant flow of work for Hawaii’s people.