Workers Affected By HC&S Closure Qualify For Federal Relief
Not only will sugar plantation employees be eligible, many workers from businesses that worked closely with HC&S will qualify, too.
Hundreds of sugar workers soon to be displaced by the closure of Hawaii’s last big sugar plantation will qualify for significant assistance from a federal relief program because of damage caused to the domestic sugar industry by “sugar dumping” from Mexican producers, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced Monday.
The benefits will not only be available to the nearly 700 workers who are losing their jobs at the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, but also to workers in other industries who will be substantially affected because their business serviced the sugar plantation.
Workers who qualify for participation in the Trade Adjustment Assistance program will be eligible for cash payments of up to $2,000 a month, once their normal unemployment benefits run out. Those benefits may last for up to 130 weeks.
They’ll also qualify for free college tuition and books and other retraining support to help them acquire necessary training for new positions.
“This is really good news for displaced workers,” said Schatz. “It means they’ll be able to go to college and make ends meet at the same time.”
Schatz said he reached out to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez shortly after the HC&S closure was announced early this year to discuss what assistance might be available. Unlike previous sugar plantation closures in Hawaii, HC&S was directly named by the International Trade Commission as an adversely affected company last November in the sugar dumping case.
Because of that, any worker dependent upon HC&S who is adversely affected by the plantation’s closing is eligible by statute for TAA help.
Making the announcement Tuesday with Schatz was Gov. David Ige, who emphasized that the federal benefits would be in addition to any state benefits the workers receive.
Both Ige and Schatz said it’s too early yet to tell how many workers may qualify. But staff from the state and federal labor departments are working with HC&S, union officials and a sugar task force to “case manage” each request for assistance. The U.S. Department of Labor is required under TAA to expedite reviews of each application.
The first wave of HC&S layoffs — affecting about 30 employees, Ige said — began earlier this month. Employees are being let go in groups, allowing sufficient staff to continue work so that this year’s harvest can be completed.
Schatz’ office said affected workers who have questions about federal relief should contact the local Workforce Development Division One-Stop Office at (808) 984-2091.
