The department which handles unemployment claims has been in chaos since the beginning of the pandemic. A year into this crisis there are still thousands of people who have not had their unemployment issues settled!  Now,  Anne Perreira-Eustaquio director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, tells us that she can't open the office because, "If we opened the office there would be thousands of people coming to this small office". Small office? What happened to the convention center?? 

The photo above shows the convention center with all of the desks and computers, with no one from the Unemployment office. I guess they ran it until the publicity wore off. It has been empty for a long, long time. Scott Murakami, then director of the department told Hawaii News Now, "This new call center at HCC will accommodate up to 30 people and will be expandable to other areas." What happened?

Thousands of people have made many thousands of calls over the last year and have not been able to get any financial help from the state. How are they to pay for food and shelter for their families? There is no excuse for callous disregard of human suffering. Many claims can be adjudicated easily with an in person interview.

If Ms. Perreira-Eustaquito will not open the Unemployment Office, then Governor Ige must. It can be done quickly and safely. Hire someone else to do her job, or have a private company take it over, but DO SOMETHING!

Ms Perreira-Eustaquito and Governor Ige have their paychecks, their retirement and medical benefits, which thousands of people have lost. Let's think about them.

Get help to our friends and neighbors who need it.

Please show your support and sign the petition here and send it to your friends to sign. You can make a difference in the lives of many local families who are struggling financially and emotionally. Thank you.