Hawaii
Hawaii hotel strikers seek unemployment benefits with no guarantee of getting those payments
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – While workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village fight for better wages and a bigger workforce, they are also heading into another fight — for unemployment benefits.
They could be eligible, but maybe not, if they do too much damage to the hotel’s income.
At the picket line at the Kalia Road entrance to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, like his colleagues, 9-year bellman Gerritt Vincent filed for unemployment but may not know for years if he will get paid.
“They told us we shouldn’t really expect much, but just to apply because you know, we’re worth it,” Vincent said.
Vincent says with no money coming in, unemployment payments would be helpful.
“I told my kids, ‘We’re sorry. We’re not going to go to McDonald’s. I told my wife, ‘Sorry, we can’t go to Target for next few days, we’re going to have to eat what we have at the house,’” he said.
Cade Watanabe, UNITE Local 5 financial secretary-treasurer, said, “We’re telling all of our members not to depend on it, not to expect it.”
That’s because it depends on how much the strike impacts Hilton’s bottom line.
Under Hawaii law and court rulings, if a strike has little or no impact on operations, workers are eligible for unemployment benefits. If the company loses 20 to 30% or more of its revenue, the workers are not eligible.
Even experts, like state House Labor Committee Chair Scot Matayoshi, can find it confusing.
“It’s honestly kind of counterintuitive to me, too,” he said.
It seems backward because strikes are designed to damage and even shut down the employer, but if the union succeeds in that, they don’t get unemployment.
Matayoshi says the law seems structured as a compromise, supporting striking workers without disabling their employers.
“If the strike is to such an extent that the whole business gets shut down, especially a crucial business, like a hospital, then unemployment benefits are withheld as perhaps incentive not to do that,” he said.
But it also creates another conflict between owners and workers. Employers will fight the unemployment applications, by offering the state Labor Department proof of business disruption severe enough for the state to deny the benefits,
“That’s something that will take a lot of time, ” Watanabe said. “That also will require the employer to share their financials.”
Financials the union will challenge on behalf of its workers, in disputes that can go on for years.
And every dispute is unique.
For example, nurses who were locked out from Kapiolani Hospital, didn’t leave voluntarily and the hospital still operated. But the Labor Department says the nurses’ eligibility is still under review.
While the law confusion seems to require change to the law, even with all the power labor has in the state, unions fear that by opening up the labor laws at the legislature could lead to unexpected negative consequences.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Newly redesigned Hawaii driver’s licenses and state IDs are beginning to arrive in mailboxes statewide.
The Department of Customer Services said more than 50,000 residents who renewed or obtained a license or state ID starting in mid-May began receiving the new cards last Friday.
Officials said the updated cards are made of 100% polycarbonate, with laser-engraved photos and added security features intended to deter tampering, fraud and identity theft.
The department said existing driver’s licenses and state IDs remain valid until their expiration dates and do not need to be replaced.
“There’s no reason for them to request a duplicate unless they would like the new card design,” said Kim Hashiro, director of the Department of Customer Services.
Residents were also reminded that temporary paper licenses are not accepted by the Transportation Security Administration for air travel. Travelers using a temporary credential should bring another acceptable form of identification, such as a passport.
Permanent plastic cards are typically mailed within six to eight weeks after an application is submitted, officials said.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Maui dive shop will welcome customers back this weekend after its Lahaina storefront was destroyed in the 2023 wildfires.
Maui Diving & Sporting Goods will hold a grand opening on Ulupono Street on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
“Losing the shop in the fire broke my heart, but reopening in Lahaina was never in question,” said store owner Jessica Pickering. “This town gave me everything I have right now. Rebuilding right here in Lahaina is my way of saying we’re still standing, we’re still here for our community, and we’re ready to enjoy this life with you.”
The business will offer the same services it’s known for at the new locations, including scuba instruction, guided dives, snorkel tours, freediving, as well as gear rentals and sales.
The grand opening will include a blessing followed by giveaways, games, and other activities.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After Super Typhoon Bavi whipped through the northwestern Pacific over the weekend, volunteers with the American Red Cross are preparing to provide aid.
Traveling through Hawaii for a quicker connection, volunteer Deborah Blaze is among a handful of volunteers staying in Oahu as they await flights to the Northern Mariana Islands. Airport closures have delayed the timeline for volunteers headed to the archipelago.
Blaze is returning to the islands after joining Red Cross relief efforts in the aftermath of another Super Typhoon, Sinlaku, which caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damages there in April.
“The people are so phenomenal. That’s the reason I wanted to go back because I was in Saipan. I was managing a shelter and we became like a family,” Blaze recalled.
Sinlaku claimed 17 lives and displaced thousands, making it the deadliest storm in Micronesia since 2002.
When asked to describe the storm’s devastation, Blaze said, “It was like, it was like a post-war scenario when we first got there. All the trees are ripped off and houses are destroyed.”
As the islands continued to recover, Bavi whipped through the Northern Mariana Islands over the weekend with winds as high as 180 miles an hour.
“We had over a thousand people in the shelter. And when I talked to those residents, a lot of them said, you know, we’ll be back tonight,” Red Cross volunteer Peter Teahen said.
Teahen has been in Saipan since before Bavi’s arrival and drove around the island to assess damage Monday afternoon after a mandated lockdown was lifted.
Because Sinlaku left so much destruction, Teahen said it is unclear what Bavi left behind, adding the damages are, “just not obvious from, you know, just driving down the street. It was a common phrase that I heard. ‘We just have to clean up again.’ You can kind of hear the exhaustion in there.”
To ease the burden on those impacted, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers provided shelter, meals and supplies after Sinlaku and will do so again when it’s safe.
“I get a sense of a very positive culture here and very private culture that, they know that they’re going to have to take care of themselves, but they will need the help of the Red Cross,” Teahen said.
Aubry Hocog, mayor of Rota, an island hit hard by Bavi, told Hawaii News Now, “A lot of our utility poles have been damaged especially in the Songsong area and so really there’s going to be a lot of work that we are going to have to do, but we’re ready for that. I know that our people are concerned, our people are scared, our people are worried, but I know that by working together, communicating with each other, being transparent, that we can overcome this.”
Click here if you want to donate to the Red Cross’ relief efforts. You can also call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999.
If you want to become a volunteer, more information is available here.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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