Officials of Maui County and Alexander and Baldwin are putting together a task force to assist workers displaced by the closing of the state’s last sugar mill.
Last week Alexander and Baldwin announced they would cease cane operations on Maui---affecting nearly seven-hundred workers. Beginning in March- half of the HC&S workers will be laid off, with the rest staying until the end of the 2016 harvest.
The task force will join representatives from government as well as the private sector to help identify resources to assist employees with their transition. They’ll help identify resources to assist workers with job sourcing opportunities, training and placement.
Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa says the economic impact goes beyond just the employees.
Arakawa added that Alexander and Baldwin has also donated to many community service groups that will lose funding with the company’s departure.