Waitress Denied UI Benefits after Fired for Horse-play

Susan C. Medeiros, who had worked for 22 years as a hostess at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, was fired July 30, 2000, after she jokingly placed her hands around the throat of a co-worker and shook her for about five seconds. Recently, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that she would not be eligible for unemployment benefits under state law. The situation was that a co-worker who was dissatisfied with a work schedule complained, and as a result, many workers found their schedules changed. The incident that got Medeiros fired was fairly unremarkable to anyone who's ever worked in a restaurant. Medeiros, a senior hostess, came up behind the co-worker, put her hands around her neck and shook her lightly while laughingly saying, "It's all because of you." The co-worker reported the incident to a manager and Medeiros was fired. Her employer’s stance is that her conduct was in deliberate disregard of the standards of behavior which they expect of all employees.