Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: What's going to happen to hourly workers in the state school system when and if the teachers go on strike? Has anyone thought about those workers? It seems like the governor forgets he has peons who work for $6 an hour who will be affected by this strike. They won't be able to go to work if there are no students in school and they also can't cross the picket line. What is their recourse? Will they be eligible for unemployment if teachers go on strike? Schools’ hourly
workers will be affected
by teacher strikeAnswer: At least in the beginning of a strike, should one occur, the Department of Education will have to deal with regular staff first, according to an official with the DOE's Office of Personnel Services. However, the DOE's position is that temporary casual employees, such as part-time teachers, A+ workers, adult supervisors, classroom cleaners and other school-level employees, initially will be asked NOT to report to work, she said.
"As their services are needed, these employees will be called back to work," she said.
If you are not directly involved in the strike, you may be classified as "being affected by the strike," said James Hom, Oahu Branch Manager for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Unemployment Insurance Division.
If the schools are closed and there is no work for you, you might be eligible for unemployment pay, he said. However, that would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
If you are not able to work because of a teachers' strike, Hom said, go to the nearest unemployment insurance claims office to file a claim. There are three offices on Oahu: Honolulu, 830 Punchbowl St., Room 110 (586-8971); Kaneohe, 45-1141 Kamehameha Hwy. (233-3677); or Waipahu, 94-275 Mokuola St., Room 301 (675-0030)
Q: Where can we have ceramic plates from China or Mexico or other countries tested for lead? Sometimes they are made with lead and may not be safe to eat off. How much will the testing cost?
A: Call the state Department of Health's Food and Drug Branch, 586-4725.
You can arrange to drop off your dishes to be tested, Health Department spokes-woman Janice Okubo said. There is no charge, she said.
Q: I am planning to go to the mainland for a vacation in a couple of months. I don't drive and the state-issued identification card I received about four years ago is no longer valid. I do, however, have a valid passport. Would the major airlines in Hawaii and on the mainland accept it as valid identification when I check in for flights?
A: Yes, if it is a valid U.S. passport, according to Joe Guyton, airlines security coordinator at Honolulu Airport. Regulations say "any valid government-issued picture document" is acceptable, he said.
Mahalo
To Royal Garden Restaurant for tracking us down after we were accidentally overcharged for a recent meal. I believe a business demonstrates its level of service by how well they respond when they do something wrong. Their proactive, honest response was impressive, demonstrative of the aloha spirit many times over and this is in addition to their great food! -- Von Kenric Kaneshiro
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
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