For a normal September, a four-week average would bring about 1,400 claims a week. At the Maui office, manager Stan Maeda had to switch back-office staff to the front desk to help the six employees who process initial claims. Uesato said a measure of how people are feeling is that Maeda told her claimants are lined up waiting before the doors open. Partial qualifiers are not required to be actively seeking employment to get benefits. At the Four Seasons Resort Maui, General Manager Radha Arora said occupancy is down but loyalty to employees means sticking with them.
Hours of work are down, and employees are being asked to take vacation.
In Honolulu, state Labor Department spokesman Tom Jackson said the department has received inquiries from several businesses, including Hilton hotels and the ABC stores, to set up a training session for mass claims filings. Local 5 represents 5,000 workers, mostly in Waikiki, and said it is seeking to help members with maintaining their jobs and benefits. At the Hyatt Maui, Lewin says fluctuations in work hours are usual in the visitor industry. Even closing a restaurant within a big resort is not unusual. But if occupancy is down, it may close some restaurants, or cut them back from seven days to five days a week.