Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $1,098,390 to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to improve the state’s business processes through the application of technology to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program. The federal grants support business process improvements that will benefit both employers and workers. Of the total, $484,390 […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has announced the award of six grants designed to strengthen local small businesses through training programs. The grants will be used as seed money to develop innovative education and training curricula in economic sectors identified by Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, the […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed Senate Bill 2609 (Act 82), a measure that incrementally increases the state’s minimum wage rate over the next four years and the tip credit over the next two years. “A hardworking sector of our community has gone seven years without a raise,” Abercrombie said. “This legislation will raise […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have announced that improvements in Hawaii’s workplace safety and health during the last year will result in the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) reassuming responsibility for regulating Hawaii’s manufacturing industries. OSHA and HIOSH have […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations has announced that direct deposit of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits now is offered to claimants. Making unemployment benefits available via direct deposit is part of the Abercrombie Administration’s efforts to transform government into a more efficient enterprise and providing convenient services to the public. “We […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Dwight Y. Takamine, state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director, delivers the keynote address at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s fall commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 at the UH Hilo New Gym. Undergraduate students have petitioned for a total of 244 degrees and/or certificates from the College of Arts […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Federal and state officials have formalized an agreement to facilitate restoration of Hawaii’s workplace health and safety enforcement capacity back to federally compliant levels. Gov. Neil Abercrombie joined U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regional Administrator Ken Nishiyama Atha in signing an agreement that outlines how OSHA and the state Department of […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have announced its agencies will sign an agreement designed to jointly rebuild and strengthen the safety and health regulatory environment in Hawaii. In previous years, there was a significant reduction in force that raised federal […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) has completed its investigation of the Sept. 21, 2011 zipline accident that claimed the life of one employee of GoZip LLC (GoZip) and seriously injured another. The investigation concluded the tower collapsed because the soil in which the […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) has launched a web-based directory of Green Employers as part of its Hawaii Green Jobs Initiative. Green employers — who work in areas such as renewable energy production and natural resource conservation — post profiles in the directory that describe their operations, specify their […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Business leaders, educators, policy makers, and those interested in advancing green workforce development can now register for the Hawaii County Green Workforce Development Summit slated for 8:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. This summit is presented in partnership with the County of Hawaii, Hawaii Island Workforce & Economic Development […]

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MEDIA RELEASE “We are pleased to announce that the Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF), which is used to pay unemployment benefits, entered the new federal fiscal year in the black,” Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Dwight Takamine said. The state had borrowed funds from the federal government beginning in December 2010 and anticipated owing […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) has announced it would receive $2.92 million in Federal grant monies to implement the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) program in Hawaii. The grant will allow the state and counties to improve the accessibility and accountability of Hawaii’s public workforce development system for persons with […]

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Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor Two former Big Island senators have been confirmed by the state Senate to their new jobs. The Senate unanimously voted for Russell Kokubun as chairman for the Department of Agriculture. Kokubun, 62, served as senator since 2000, and he handled posts including Senate vice president and chair of the […]

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