The coronavirus pandemic has caused Hawaii’s unemployment rate to rise to the highest in the nation with more than 237,000 people in the state filing for jobless benefits between March 1 and April 15.
Staff in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Division, represented by our sisters and brothers in the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), have been overwhelmed by those claims and are working seven days a week trying to resolve the backlog.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) joins HGEA and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA) in working together to expedite relief for those recently unemployed in our communities. We call on our Oahu-based members who are able to volunteer to help process claims and get unemployment checks out quickly. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, unemployment officials estimate jobless claims that would have taken months to process could be handled in just a few weeks.
As of midday on Wednesday, April 22, about 500 state employees had signed up for volunteer shifts.
We know a great deal of our members are already juggling a substantial workload and adapting to a new normal of remote teaching and learning. We realize your commitment to your students must come first, and this effort may not be possible for you. But for those who can find some time to volunteer and give back to our community, HSTA encourages you to step up and kokua.
Please be sure to get permission from your administrator before you sign up. The Hawaii State Department of Education is aware of and supports this initiative.
Visit HawaiiWorks.org for more information and to volunteer.
Click here to access the signup form on your mobile device.
Photo: Hawaii News NowVolunteer shifts of training for current state employees are this Wednesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 23 at the Hawaii Convention Center, with desks and computers set up to maintain social distancing. The Labor Department says volunteers will help by “processing claims.” Once volunteers arrive, they will be screened and placed into areas to do jobs that they feel comfortable with. For example, if they don’t want to talk to people, they won’t have to.
On the training day, expect to arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and work until 5 p.m. At that time you will be able to sign up for future volunteer dates. Parking and lunch will be included. Volunteers are asked to bring their own masks.
Please do not show up at the convention center unless you signed up on the website and received a confirmation email.
- Read more: Help is coming to ease Hawaii’s severe unemployment claim backlog (Hawaii News Now)
Lawmakers instrumental in effort, are also volunteering
“We recognized that a massive amount of help would be needed to tackle the backlog of unemployment insurance claims that exploded in a few of weeks. The fastest way to tackle this enormous problem was to coordinate an unprecedented, across-government effort,” said House Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke. “This effort was stood up in just three days.”
House Labor Committee Chair Aaron Ling Johanson said, “Hawaiʻi is a special place where everyone steps up to help each other and today’s unprecedented partnership is due in large part to HGEA spear-heading a successful volunteer drive with HSTA and UHPA that generously provided over 300 volunteer state workers from across state government."
Johanson said another "70 plus volunteers are also coming from the State House of Representatives and the Legislative Reference Bureau to aid in the effort. The processing of an Unemployment Insurance claim is tedious and complicated and DLIR was working day and night to process them. This should provide much-needed assistance to exponentially increase the processing capabilities of the state to deal with the outstanding unemployment insurance claims and get people the relief they need.”
State House Speaker Scott K Saiki said, “I want to thank the volunteers, the unions, the State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations, Department of Accounting & General Services, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, and Office of Enterprise Technology Services for helping to make this tremendous effort possible.”
Along with hundreds of other state workers, Reps. Saiki, Luke, Johanson, Della Au Belatti, Tom Brower, Lisa Kitagawa, Stacelynn K.M. Eli, and Ty J.K. Cullen have volunteered to take the training and learn to process claims.
Mahalo to all of you for going above and beyond during these unprecedented times and to members who are able to help in this effort to bring timely financial support to those in need.