Transitions are uncomfortable times for industries in flux, and few industries have undergone as much change in recent decades as agriculture.

The difficulties faced by agricultural workers left hanging by a plantation closure are the most acutely painful.

The Legislature did right by the 100 or more displaced Del Monte Fresh Produce workers who are still jobless four months after the company abruptly shuttered its operation. House Bill 835 provided $1.2 million in housing subsidies to be dispensed over the next two years.

This program represents an improvement over a similar initiative aimed at helping the Waialua Sugar Co. workers who lost jobs more than a decade ago. The short-term relocation grants turned out to be more useful than the loan programs: The beneficiaries couldn't afford the interest rates to pay off the loans.

Lawmakers and the state agency that will be setting up the aid program, the Hawai'i Housing Finance and Development Corp., report that they have learned from that past experience. This time the package involves outright grants rather than loans, and there are plans for working more closely with the union to reach out to those needing aid.

Those are good instincts, but there's clearly a gap here that needs to be bridged.

A story by Advertiser writer Lynda Arakawa spotlighted the challenges, including the fact that unemployment benefits are due to run out at the end of July.

Even if the state housing corporation works at a brisk clip to set up the aid program, there will be a long dry spell between aid programs.

The union, ILWU Local 142, can step up to the plate here and help with bridge loans or grants. Lending aid through tough times is a bedrock function of labor unions, and there's a prime opportunity to fulfill that function here.

Pulling together the threads from unions, government aid and even community support in subsidies and job training opportunities can create the safety net these workers need.