In their own words

During the examination of the WARN letters from the Department of Labor last weekend, published here, an interesting tidbit was discovered. Along with the list of positions that were being eliminated, along with the number of people for each position, the companies also wrote letters explaining the reductions.

They also, in some cases, made it very clear what their feelings were of state leadership and how they see the COVID economic crisis unfolding over the next few months.

These letters provide a window. What they envision is not business as usual anytime soon. And to boot, many whose livelihoods are based on these jobs may not see them come back for some time.

But don’t take my word for it…read it for yourself.

“Furthermore, it is now apparent that the State of Hawai‘i has no clear timeline for reopening plans, making it likely that our operations will remain limited or shut down for some time due to government restrictions and other reasons beyond our control. Based on information that is currently available, it is possible that the temporary furloughs of employees will last longer than six months. We continue to remain optimistic that we will be able to reopen and bring employees back to work. However, we are uncertain given the rapidly-changing situation how our circumstances will continue to evolve.”

Mauna Kea Resort / Prince Resorts Hawai‘I  9-1-2020

“As you know, Governor Ige issued restrictive orders beginning in March 2020 and has subsequently issued twelve restrictive proclamations, which include stay at home orders, 14-day quarantine periods for all visitors, limitations on travel between islands, health screenings and beach closures, to name a few. Most recently there continue to be “spikes’ of the virus across the state. As a result, Governor Ige has recently issued his 12th Proclamation and the Mayor of Honolulu has continued his ordered prohibiting social gatherings and requiring everyone but essential workers to stay at home, among other restrictions. These continued restrictions will prolong the severe impact the virus has had on the Resort’s business”

Turtle Bay Resort – 8-31-2020

“We anticipate these changes will be permanent as the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has predicted that tourism levels are not expected to return to anything resembling 2019 levels until 2025. Nonetheless, it is possible that some employees could be contracted or invited to return to employment with the PCC if operational needs dictate that their particular skills, experience and training render them qualified for the positions that are needed due to significant increases in visitor traffic and the PCC’s guest attendance numbers.”

Polynesian Cultural Center – 7-24-2020

“[T]he initial government stay-at-home order, travel prohibitions, mandatory self-quarantine periods for travelers, and closures of restaurants and non-essential businesses began in March 2020 and were set to expire after a short period. Since that time, however, the government orders have been extended multiple times for reasons beyond our control. The reopening plans of the State of Hawai‘i have no clear timelines.”

Trump International Hotel, Waikīkī – 7-20-2020

We are taking these actions because of COVID-19 related business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable at the time notice would have been required. We did not and could not have foreseen how broadly and deeply the COVID-19 epidemic would spread and affect our business; nor did we foresee the “lockdown” orders, initially issued for short durations in certain specific cities, would spread throughout the country and consistently and continually extended and/or changed, thus not merely interrupting commerce and travel for a short period, but now disrupting commerce and travel for the foreseeable future. “

Doubletree by Hilton – 8-18-2020