At Workers Day rally, hundreds call on state to help employees laid off during COVID
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - About 300 people gathered for a rally in Kalihi Saturday to celebrate International Workers Day.
But, organizers said they were also there to protest against an indifferent state government which they say has been slow to deliver unemployment benefits for people who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“They’re waiting for six, seven, eight months. That is just unacceptable,” said Rev. Sam Domingo of the Hawaii Workers Center. “And we’re going to hold our leaders and government very much accountable.”
March 2, 2021
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations works for the people of Hawaii, but it does not want to see them.
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That s especially true for people who have lost their jobs and want to come to offices to file unemployment insurance or resolve payment issues in person.
DLIR director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio is keeping state unemployment offices closed to the public not because of concerns about coronavirus contagion but rather her worry that multitudes of angry claimants might burst in to take out their frustrations on her staff members.
Subscribe You know we would have thousands of people coming down to these very small offices, individuals who are not very happy. They need to be paid, she said in an interview earlier this month with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. They are anxious, understandably. They are upset because they have not received their unemployment insurance benefits and it is the safety of the staff because of the crowds. We wouldn
Denby Fawcett: Hawaii s Unemployed Need Easier Ways To Resolve Problems civilbeat.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from civilbeat.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Workersâ rights groups come together around a single mission: Advocating for working families
Unemployed workers plead with government to fix broken system for jobless benefits By Samie Solina | February 18, 2021 at 5:56 PM HST - Updated February 18 at 5:58 PM
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Problems with the unemployment system are just one of the grievances workers have over their treatment during the pandemic.
On Thursday, organizations representing workers came together to advocate for their members.
Some are calling for a higher minimum wage, especially when families need the money.
Nurses are asking to ban forced overtime.
And the Hawaii Workers Center is asking for the state Department of Labor to open up their offices in-person to those who need help processing their claims.