The State's Rapid Response team met with Honolulu Advertiser employees who will be losing their jobs soon. Meanwhile, the newspaper guild claims there are still questions about how the layoffs are being handled.

Our cameras were not allowed inside the Advertiser building for the meeting between laid-off employees and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Rapid Response Services team. Newspaper Guild spokesman Wayne Cahill talked with us by phone from Maui about the meeting.

"Well, I would hope that finding some jobs for some of our people would come out of that. We've met with the people and explained procedures for unemployment insurance and benefits they're entitled to under the contract," said Wayne Cahill, from the Hawaii Newspaper Guild.

Earlier this month, 54 employees were informed by e-mail they were being laid off. The union has problems with which employees were given pink slips.

"But we still have issues about whether or not they're laying off the right people in all cases. We think they violated the seniority provisions of the contract in at least a few cases," said Cahill.

Cahill said a meeting is planned with Advertiser management Tuesday to address the seniority issue.

"And at that point, if they've not we'll be filing formal grievances and taking whatever action we can to get the jobs back for people that have been improperly laid off," said Cahill.

Cahill adds, without the 50 plus employees working for the paper, it won't be the same product.

"Look, when they get rid of people like Dick Adair, you know the product's going to change some because Dick has added to the editorial pages with his cartoons for decades now," said Cahill.

Advertiser publisher Lee Webber had no comment except to refer to an earlier press release citing the downturn in the local economy as the reason for the layoffs.