Workers rally for in-person unemployment assistance

Still frustrated by the lack of accessibility to the unemployment office and unresolved claims, roughly a dozen workers rallied Thursday in front of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations headquarters downtown.

The Hawaii Workers Center held a holiday-themed rally in front of the DLIR building on Punchbowl Street, singing carols about not getting paid, followed by the presentation of a “Scrooge award” to DLIR Director Anne Perreira- Eustaquio for refusing to continue a dialogue with them, then marched to the Capitol rotunda to get Gov. David Ige’s attention.

The group has for months been calling for DLIR to open an office for in-person services, particularly to serve those who are experiencing problems or long delays in getting their unemployment insurance benefits.

The Rev. Sam Domingo, the center’s steering committee member, said it is time for the Ige administration to alleviate the stress of thousands of unemployed workers with claims pending resolution, especially before the holidays.

“There’s a growing list of people who continually now are frustrated, and, of course, this is December,” he said. “Their claims are still in limbo, and what we truly know is there’s a growing sense of urgency now and desperation. I mean, the benefits itself will run out just after Christmas.”

The center has launched an online petition, urging Ige and DLIR to open an in-person office, to provide timely assistance and response to questions, and to modernize its computers and processing systems. If banks and driver licensing centers can safely open for in-person services, then the unemployment insurance office should also be able to, given that it is an essential service, it says.

The DLIR office had no comment on the rally, the second to be held after another one in early November, also demanding that the unemployment office open up for in-person services.

Perreira-Eustaquio is still discussing opening plans with Ige, but no decisions have been made yet, a DLIR spokesman said.

Hawaii’s unemployment rate, at 14.3% in October, is the highest in the nation and the only one in double digits.

According to the latest DLIR data, nearly 380,000 claims have been filed, with roughly 39% of that total for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance covering those who are self-employed and others, and about 23% for extended benefits.

During a Spotlight Interview last week, Perreira- Eustaquio said her office has paid out 97% of the claims it has received since March, but she understands many people in Hawaii are still waiting for benefits, and that the office is trying to get to them as quickly as possible.

Robyn Conboy of Honolulu is one of them. She held a sign at the rally saying, “After 8 months of no help, I’m out of patience.”

Conboy, a figure skating coach at Ice Palace Hawaii, taught group classes and private lessons, but has been out of work due to pandemic-related closures since March.

That puts her in the category of both an employee with wages and a self-employed contractor, which created complications in getting her unemployment claims processed. The amount she got as an employee was much smaller than what she got as a contractor, but she can receive benefits only for the former for now.

It is the first time she has ever had to apply for unemployment, she said. When initially trying to figure it out, she called the unemployment office up to 250 times a day, with no luck. There are still some glitches to iron out, and getting through continues to be a challenge.

“There are a lot of people who are stuck between PUA and regular employment,” she said. “There are a lot of people that have more than one job.”

Tai Jung, who was also at the rally, has been helping her parents, Korean American immigrants who speak limited English, file their unemployment claims.

“It’s been very difficult and very straining,” said Jung. “It is very difficult to navigate.”

Their unemployment payments have oftentimes been late, creating a great amount of stress over going into debt. Despite making multiple phone calls a day trying to find out why, they were unable to get through, even with the new call center.

An in-person office where translations can be made face to face would be helpful, Jung said.