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385 workers to lose jobs after Maui resort closure

STAR-ADVERTISER ARCHIVE/ JULY 13, 2010

The Makena Beach & Golf Resort is closing.

WAILUKU » The owner of the Makena Beach & Golf Resort on Maui has announced that the resort will be shutting down, a move that will result in 385 employees being laid off.

ATC Makena Holdings LLC said Tuesday the 1,800-acre resort with 310 rooms will close July 1, The Maui News reported.

General Manager Declan McCarthy said in a statement the resort will work with employees to ensure they are prepared to seek other job opportunities.

“The foundation of Makena Beach & Golf Resort has been its employees, many of whom have been working at the property for over 20 years,” he said. “Our ohana has attained a level of service that has been well recognized within the islands and around the world as attentive, welcoming and sincere.”

McCarthy said employees will be provided access to training on resume writing, interviewing skills and job search tools.

“We will work closely with county and state government agencies and have already begun planning a job fair at the hotel in the near future,” he said.

According to the resort’s announcement, plans for the hotel site include the development of the Makena Golf & Beach Club, which will be managed by Discover Land Co.

The Makena resort’s closure is the second announcement this year of major layoffs in Hawaii. In January, Alexander & Baldwin said it would close Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. by the end of the year, affecting about 660 employees at the state’s last sugar plantation.

17 responses to “385 workers to lose jobs after Maui resort closure”

  1. FARKWARD says:

    This is why you pay Union-Dues–so, you can loose your job and your retirement and medical benefits… Look what “Gill” has done for you! Now, you too can join The Homeless that you make fun of…

    • HIE says:

      And without union dues, you would have spent 20 years making half as much money, still LOSE your job, and never had any retirement or medical benefits to begin with….

    • localguy says:

      Union dues have absolutely nothing to do with it. Many well paying, non union jobs offer matching Roth 401ks, job placement assistance, separation pay and benefits.

      Union dues, as we have seen before, is usually just wasted by greedy union bosses. Exactly like our elected bureaucrats due with our tax dollars.

      • bobbob says:

        In the unskilled service sector? Across all sectors, there’s a real wage disparity and around 30% difference in certain types of employment benefits, which include retirement. I’m sure in unskilled jobs, the disparity is even greater for both wages and benefits.

      • advertiser1 says:

        Or paying for your federal retirement?

      • Allaha says:

        All these enterprises should have never been started. They were only possible by bringing foreign workers and the “benefit ” for the people of Hawaii was only overpopulation. Now they are no longer needed, but these people can not be sent back, just causing more problems of a swelling population.

        • TigerEye says:

          LOL. I’m getting a visual of a man trying to repair his car by jamming all the wrong parts into the wrong places with vice grips and a hammer.

        • advertiser1 says:

          Sorry, can you please explain further? How many foreign workers are you talking about? And actually this ownership lasted over 20 years, and prior to that it was the Prince…how is that something that should not have been started?

    • hywnsytl says:

      Fark what a jerk.
      There is more than enough opportunities in Maui to absorb both HC&s and Makena maui employees. It is business and jobs are added and lost all the time. July is peak season and I am sure most can find a job with its first application to another Hotel.

      • saveparadise says:

        Wow! I did not realize it was so easy to find jobs on Maui. How did you get the inside scoops on this?

        • Valleyisle57 says:

          I’ll second that! I had no idea that there are 1000 jobs just waiting to “absorb” these poor folks that will be unemployed very shortly. I’d be willing to say that this fool is on the side of those excited about HC&S closing because it will stop cane burning. REALLLLLL intelligent Farkward!

  2. builderguy says:

    Heard on news last nite that this closure took almost everyone by surprise. How can this be when three years ago plans were ramping up on the development to take the place of the hotel. Hotel is going to be a ultra luxury condo with split level units which should number about 70 condos and along the golf course many more residences. Unfortunately there won’t be many hospitality jobs at Makena in the future.

  3. iwanaknow says:

    You can build alot of high priced homes on 1,800 acres of land?……what holds them back? zoning?

  4. topgun says:

    Will they be taken care of like the state did for Aloha Airlines employees?

    • clum56 says:

      Hopefully management will show that they will have a heart and show their Kuleana!!!! to those who will lose their jobs that they have been at for over 20 years.

  5. fiveo says:

    Not good news for those on Maui. First sugar goes down, and now a hotel.

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