The September 11th attack | Coping with the aftermath
Bills mounting as jobless in Hawai'i ponder future

By David Butts and John Duchemin
Advertiser Staff Writers

It's easy to glaze over reports of the post-Sept. 11 layoffs in Hawai'i when they keep coming so fast: American Classic Voyages, 1,100; Hawaiian Airlines, 430; Aloha Airlines, 250; Atlantis Submarines, 150; Ohana Foundation, 90; DFS Galleria, 70.

In all, 17,071 Hawai'i residents have filed for unemployment compensation in the six weeks following Sept. 11. That's 17,071 stories. Some are taking it in stride and some are deeply troubled, wondering how they will meet responsibilities on a state paycheck that maxes out at $383 a week.

Together they describe the impact of the terrorist attacks on Hawai'i's economy in a way that numbers cannot. The experts will say the impact is a one- to two-percentage-point drop in economic growth. The men and women filling out forms and taking a number at the unemployment office will say it is the loss of medical benefits, fear of missing a house payment or a loss of self-confidence.

Widowed seven months ago, 53-year-old Filipinas Isidro has survived since Sept. 15 on unemployment checks totalling $243 a week.

Isidro, a hotel housekeeper, was laid off immediately after the slump in tourism began. Later, Isidro got a letter saying she had been permanently fired. She said her former employer has laid off all but "three or five" members of its 100-person housekeeping crew, none of whom was unionized.

Isidro said she can't find a job — "There's not any openings now" — and she has no health insurance. The hotel, which paid her $9.94 an hour, offered to extend her medical coverage for several months, as required by law — but it would have cost Isidro $169 a month. "I can't afford that," she said.

Facing $500-a-month rent on her Kalihi home, plus utilities and "lots of bills to pay," Isidro hopes she can increase her unemployment benefits.

In the meantime, she has had to clamp down hard on her spending.

"I can't buy what I like anymore — only what's important," she said.

Noriko Otomo, a 72-year-old Japanese native and naturalized U.S. citizen, sells rings and watches at the Cartier boutique in the DFS Galleria Waikiki. DFS cut her hours in half Sept. 16, and with a drop in commissions, she is taking home about one-third of her former pay.

DFS told Otomo to apply for unemployment benefits, saying she had paid for it in her 21 years of service. But Otomo hesitated to go because she is not comfortable dealing with bureaucracies in English. In her first attempt, she got as far as the unemployment office courtyard and saw the line snaking out the door and down the hall. She gave up.

The second time around, she filled out the five forms and learned that her income qualifies her for the maximum benefit of $383 a week. The only thing is, the state must first deduct the gross pay from her reduced hours at DFS, then deduct half of her Social Security benefit and withhold state and federal taxes.

After all that, she is left with less than $50. "It's so bothersome, and all I get is $50," she said. "Maybe I'll give up."

But she has to pay her $750-a-month rent, and credit card bills are due, so she headed for the Social Security office to get one more paper signed.

What bothered Otomo most was the unemployment clerk saying she will have to start looking for a new job if she wants to keep her benefits coming after the first four weeks. "What am I going to do?" she wondered. "I'm too old for housekeeper. I can't even keep up my own place.

"My job is all Japanese," Otomo said. "DFS is in real trouble. No people are coming from Japan."

Like thousands of others, Velma and Antonio Tamayo have seen their hours cut — but not for the usual reason.

The Waialua couple work at the Hickam Air Force Base cafeteria, which before Sept. 11 catered to a steady flow of government workers. Tighter security, however, means it's much harder to get on base.

"Used to be, anyone with a government badge could get in and come have lunch," said Velma, 23, as she bobbed 3-month-old son Anthony on her knee at the unemployment office. "But because it's harder to get on base, the cafeteria isn't making as much money."

She and her 27-year-old husband, who moved to Hawai'i from Visaya in the Philippines seven years ago, each have lost about five hours a week. That means "bills are kind of tight."

"We're going cheap, and buying a lot less," Antonio said.

Darryl Vellalos, 40, found out by watching the news that he had lost his job.

A former assistant waiter on the interisland cruise ship Patriot, Vellalos was on vacation when the cruise ship's owner, American Classic Voyages, announced late last month that it would file for bankruptcy, fire 1,100 people in the Islands and mothball its two Hawai'i ships.

"Now? Geez, I don't know what I'll do," he said.

Vellalos, who lives in downtown Honolulu, said his rent is cheap, so he's not too worried about his prospects. He has some bartending experience and may try to land a job with a restaurant in town.

"Even if I work at 7-Eleven, I'll be able to pay my bills — not that that's my first choice," he said. "So I'm not really discouraged yet. But I am spending less money. I'm eating a lot more dinners at friends' houses, and I'll walk instead of catching the bus."

The impact has been mostly emotional for Kayako Calef. The 37-year-old Japanese native lost her job at Sea Life Park three weeks ago, and she misses the animals and the people she had worked with for five years.

Calef, who wears a gold dolphin ring and matching bracelet, said working with dolphins was a dream job. "Even when I was not feeling well, just looking at them. They melt your heart."

She introduced Japanese tourists to the dolphins at the park's Splash U attraction. "You get to know each of them, Maui and the others. The shape of the fin and the faces are different."

Calef said she has been at home, sick, for two of the three weeks since losing her job, and although no longer sick, she can't bring herself to return to the park to pick up her personal things.

"I love the people there. If I go back, I may start to cry," she said.

She also doesn't look forward to job-hunting. The demand for Japanese tour guides has collapsed with the 40 percent decline in Japanese tourists since Sept. 11.

"I don't want to do sales," Calef said. "I may just wait this out. It won't last forever."