Archive for » June 21st, 2012«

21 Jun 2012

US Department of Labor awards nearly $50 million to provide …


WASHINGTON, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded nearly $50 million in two types of grants to 25 community-based organizations that will provide job training, education and support services to youth and young adults returning from the juvenile justice system.

“These young people deserve a chance to turn their lives around,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “The federal grants announced today will help vulnerable youth receive the training and support they need to gain valuable job skills and improve their long-term employment prospects.”

Four grants totaling approximately $19.5 million will serve formerly incarcerated youth, ages 14 and above, in high-poverty, high-crime communities who have been involved with the juvenile justice system within the past 12 months and never have been involved in the adult criminal system. Grantees will provide education and training leading to high school diplomas and/or industry-recognized credentials for the individuals served with an emphasis on in-demand industries and occupations available within their local communities. Additionally, grantees will be required to competitively select local subgrantees to operate the program in a minimum of five high-poverty, high-crime communities across at least two states.

The remaining 21 grants total nearly $30 million and will serve individuals ages 18-21 who were involved in the juvenile justice system from the age of 14 or older but were never convicted as adults under federal or state law. Through training projects, service learning opportunities and educational interventions, participants will earn high school diplomas and industry-recognized credentials.

All grants provide for up to four months of planning and a minimum of 26 months of operation. The Labor Department awarded the grants through a competitive process, open to national and regional intermediaries with experience conducting multisite projects and serving young adult offenders.

For more information on Department of Labor training programs, visit
http://www.doleta.gov/RExO/aboutRExO.cfm .

Editor’s note: A list of the grantees, their locations and award amounts follows this news release.

Grants serving formerly incarcerated juveniles in high-poverty, high-crime communities


        Grantee                             City       State Amount
        East Harlem Employment Service Inc. New York   N.Y.  $4,960,732
        National Urban League Inc.          New York   N.Y.  $5,000,000
        Southwest Key Programs              Austin     Texas $4,999,200
        Spectrum Resources                  Des Moines Iowa  $4,511,773
        Total                                                $19,471,705

Grants serving formerly incarcerated juveniles and young adults through training and service learning


        Grantee                                                      City         State  Amount
        Central Wyoming College                                      Riverton     Wyo.   $1,273,846
        City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services Honolulu     Hawaii $1,500,000
        City of Boston Economic Development and Industrial Corp.     Boston       Mass.  $1,500,000
        CLC Inc.                                                     Fort Worth   Texas  $1,500,000
        College of Southern Maryland                                 La Plata     Md.    $1,500,000
        Computer Mentors Group Inc.                                  Tampa        Fla.   $1,497,178
        Fort Scott Community College Endowment Association           Fort Scott   Kan.   $1,500,000
        Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission              Fresno       Calif. $1,500,000
        Goodwill Industries of Northern New England                  Portland     Maine  $1,436,496
        Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona Inc.                 Tucson       Ariz.  $1,241,790
        Greater West Town Community Development Project              Chicago      Ill.   $1,500,000
        Human Resource Development Foundation Inc.                   Morgantown   W.Va.  $1,267,796
        Little Dixie Community Action Agency Inc.                    Hugo         Okla.  $1,440,000
        Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board                    Milwaukee    Wis.   $1,500,000
        National Urban League Inc.                                   New York     N.Y.   $1,500,000
        Peckham Inc.                                                 Lansing      Mich.  $1,145,317
        People For People Inc.                                       Philadelphia Pa.    $1,499,989
        RESOURCE Inc.                                                Minneapolis  Minn.  $1,495,686
        Siouxland Human Investment Partnership                       Sioux City   Iowa   $1,499,996
        Total Action Against Poverty in the Roanoke Valley           Roanoke      Va.    $1,241,790
        YouthBuild Newark Inc.                                       Newark       N.J.   $1,440,000
        Total                                                                            $29,979,884

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at
http://www.dol.gov . The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

Connect with DOL at

http://social.dol.gov

http://twitter.com/usdol

http://www.facebook.com/departmentoflabor

http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor

http://social.dol.gov/blog/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52862363 @N07/

SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved


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21 Jun 2012

Kearny to hold job fair at public library – The Jersey Journal

A job fair featuring almost 30 employers is coming to Kearny, an event geared to match qualified West Hudson area residents with jobs.

Organized through the Town of Kearny and the North Hudson Community Action Corporation, the event will be held on June 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Kearny Public Library, 318 Kearny Ave.

Participating businesses will include Wal-Mart, Bayonne Medical Center, NJ Transit, Hertz, Home Depot, TD Bank, Valley National Bank, Dish Network and Embassy Suites, among others.

Kearny Mayor Al Santos, a NHCAC trustee, said he approached the organization about hosting a job fair in West Hudson after hearing that similar events held in other parts of the county attracted hundreds of job applicants, many of whom were offered positions.

“This has the potential to do a lot of good,” Santos said of the event. “It will, I hope, make a difference in people’s lives.”

Olga Perez of NHCAC, who is coordinating the Kearny event, has received “very positive feedback” from employers looking to recruit in West Hudson, Santos added. To aid job applicants, the Kearny Public Library hosted a resume writing workshop earlier this week that offered advice on how to best present professional skills and prior experience.

Many area residents who are searching for jobs have used the library’s resources to fine tune their resumes, as well as to make copies and research jobs online.

“This is one of the worst recessions we’ve had for a while now, and it’s impacted blue collar communities like Kearny very hard,” Santos said. “We have a high unemployment rate, but we also have employers who can’t fill jobs. We’re trying to be that bridge between the unemployed and the underemployed and potential employers.”


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21 Jun 2012

Collective redundancy reforms announced by Government

Norman Lamb, the employment relations minister, has today announced the Government’s proposals to reform the rules for consulting staff about large scale redundancies.

According to a statement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the proposals are aimed at “improving the ability of companies to respond to changing economic conditions” and “improving the quality of the collective redundancies process”.

Following a call for evidence last year, a formal consultation has been published today which seeks views on a number of proposals including:

  • introducing a new, non-statutory, code of practice to give clearer information on how to conduct good quality consultations;
  • reducing the 90-day minimum period for collective redundancies of more than 100 staff to 45 or 30 days; and
  • improving the guidance for employers and employees on the support on offer from the Government.

Lamb said: “It is never easy for employers or employees when redundancy is a possibility, but it’s clear that the current arrangements are not working in the best interests of either staff or managers.

He continued: “At present fear and uncertainty can hang over a workforce for three months, sometimes resulting in some of the best employees choosing to leave, even if they would not have ultimately been made redundant.”

EEF head of employment affairs Tim Thomas said: “We broadly welcome these proposals as the law in this area strongly favours employees and their representatives which can lead to prolonged periods of uncertainty. This needs to be rebalanced and greater emphasis placed upon the protection of employment for all workers. The 90-day consultation period can delay the resolution of redundancy consultations and employers will welcome a move to 30 or 45 days.

“However, we are disappointed at the decision not to consider the position of protective awards, which are an unnecessary example of gold-plating and a disproportionate penalty for employers. They do little to encourage swift and flexible settlement and are out of step with the median level of awards for other forms of claim.”

Commenting on the announcement, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said that the current 90-day consultation rules work perfectly well: “Any reduction in the time period in which employers must consult with their workforce over potential job losses will make what is already a deeply unsettling time much more difficult for everyone involved.”

More detail on the collective redundancy consultation is available on XpertHR.


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21 Jun 2012

WRAPUP 4-US factory, jobs data highlight struggling recovery


Thu Jun 21, 2012 2:02pm EDT

* Factory growth slowest in 11 months

* Weekly jobless claims fall only 2,000

* Mid-Atlantic factory gauge plunges to 10-month low

* Home resales fall 1.5 percent in May

By Lucia Mutikani and Steven C. Johnson

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) – U.S manufacturing
grew at its slowest pace in 11 months in June and the number of
Americans filing new applications for unemployment aid fell
slightly last week, further evidence the economy was weakening.

Other reports on Thursday underscored the difficulty the
economy was having breaking out of a soft patch. Factory
activity in the Mid-Atlantic region tumbled to a 10-month low in
June and home resales slipped in May.

“Today’s numbers are ugly. The economy is in another
mid-year slump, growth will struggle to breach 2 percent and the
odds are rising that the Fed will need to do more, probably as
soon as its August meeting,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist
at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester Pennsylvania.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday moved to hold down
borrowing costs by extending a program to re-weight securities
it holds toward longer maturities. However, many economists
think it will eventually launch a third round of bond purchases
in a more aggressive bid to spur a stronger recovery.

The economy is going through a repeat of 2011 when growth
stumbled in summer, with Europe’s debt crisis and uncertainty
over the course of U.S. fiscal policy making businesses
reluctant to hire.

Financial information firm Markit said its U.S. “flash”
manufacturing gauge fell to 52.9 in June from 54.0 in May.
June’s reading was the lowest since last July although it stayed
above 50, indicating an expansion in activity.

For the second straight month, weaker demand from Europe and
large emerging markets such as China dented sales. Markit said
U.S. manufacturers reported the second largest decline in new
export orders since September 2009.

JOB MARKET STAGNATING

In a separate report, the Labor Department said initial
claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 last week
to a seasonally adjusted 387,000. However, a four-week moving
average, considered a better measure of labor market trends, hit
the highest level since early December.

The claims data covered the survey week for the government’s
nonfarm payrolls count for June and pointed to only a marginal
improvement on the paltry 69,000 jobs added in May.

“The labor market is appearing to be losing further
momentum, with the economy likely to add jobs at a very modest
pace in June, possibly within the 100,000 to 150,000 range,”
said Millan Mulraine, senior macro strategist at TD Securities
in New York. “This is likely to be well below the pace at which
the Fed will feel sufficiently confident that the current
economic recovery could be sustained.”

The Labor Department will release its June employment report
on July 6.

In a third report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank
reported that factory activity in eastern Pennsylvania, southern
New Jersey and Delaware contracted for second month in June.

Stocks on Wall Street fell on the data, while prices for
U.S. government bonds rose. The dollar strengthen against a
basket of currencies.

Manufacturing has been one of the strongest links in an
otherwise frail U.S. economic recovery, but weaker overseas
demand may be starting to take its toll.

Both the Markit index and the Philadelphia Fed survey showed
weakness in employment measures.

“The close fit of the survey data with non-farm payroll
numbers suggests that the official (employment) data for June
will show a further weakening of the labor market,” said Markit
chief economist Chris Williamson.

Labor market weakness was key in the Fed’s decision on
Wednesday to extend its so-called Operation Twist program
through the end of the year. It was due to expire this month.

In a relative bright spot, a gauge of future U.S. economic
activity rebounded in May.

Sales of previously owned homes fell 1.5 percent last month.
The drop followed April’s hefty 3.4 percent increase and the
median home price in May rose for a fourth straight month.


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21 Jun 2012

Alliance Creates Job Placement Service To Find Jobs for Returning …

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Alliance
Solutions Group, a full-service recruitment agency with offices in
Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage, Franklin, Lorain and Wyandot counties under
the Alliance Staffing Solutions name, has launched a new business unit
developed specifically for returning servicemen and women. Alliance
Military Placement Solutions (AMPS) is designed to help former
military personnel ease back into the civilian workforce by helping them
find jobs that will build upon the skills they’ve acquired during their
military service.

“By embedding ourselves in a market or community, we’re able to more
accurately understand the needs of both employers and candidates, which
in turn leads to a better match between the candidate and the job skills
required”

Company President Aaron Grossman explains, “We created AMPS because
we’ve seen that sometimes it’s harder or more complicated for a
returning military veteran to find a civilian job than you’d expect. The
culture is different, the military terminology of their work experience
is different, and sometimes corporate HR executives don’t immediately
understand how their military skill translates into the open positions
they have. Our intention is that AMPS will shortcut that process.”

AMPS will operate as one of eight specialized business units within
Alliance Solutions Group. Each unit focuses on a specific niche, such as
engineering, financial, healthcare or industrial positions, with
dedicated recruiters and staffing consultants focused on the needs of
those candidates and employers. Grossman said that model has driven
rapid and sustained double-digit growth for his 11-year-old company, and
he expects the AMPS focus on the military community will bring the same
advantages to veterans.

“By embedding ourselves in a market or community, we’re able to more
accurately understand the needs of both employers and candidates, which
in turn leads to a better match between the candidate and the job skills
required,” he explained. “Corporate HR executives and hiring managers
are sincere in their desire to employ veterans, and we believe that AMPS
can be a catalyst that provides those more rapid, more productive
matches.”

Grossman added that he feels a sense of urgency and priority behind his
new business unit that drove him to invest in the initiative. “At the
end of the day, I think we all believe returning servicemen and women
deserve our respect and gratitude,” he said. “Now that they’re home and
working hard to re-enter our communities, they need our help to move
quickly from military to civilian employment. They’ve supported their
country. Now it’s time for us to support them.”

As part of the AMPS launch, Grossman has also created a nonprofit
organization to accept financial and in-kind support from area
corporations that want to support military job recruiting efforts. “Many
executives we talk to want to do more than just post a job, but to offer
additional services such as resume improvement and interview training
and coaching. The Working Soldier Foundation acts as the nonprofit
entity to receive those contributions so we can convert those into
needed services for our veterans.”

Veterans interested in learning more should visit www.alliancemilitary.com
to upload their resume and begin the recruitment process. Corporate
executives and hiring managers can visit the site as well to post job
positions available.

Learn more about Alliance Solutions Group at www.alliancestaffingsolutions.com
or call 866-939-0100.

About Alliance Solutions Group

A registered Minority Business Enterprise, the Alliance Staffing
Solutions Group of Companies, is a full-service recruitment firm
headquartered in Independence, Ohio. Alliance Staffing offers expertise
through its business units that include Alliance Financial Solutions,
Alliance Office Solutions, Alliance Healthcare Solutions, Alliance
Scientific Solutions, Alliance Technical Solutions, Alliance Industrial
Solutions, and the Alliance Search Group. The recruitment
agency is a multiple Weatherhead 100 award recipient as one of
Northeast Ohio’s fastest growing companies and a two-time winner of the
Inc. Magazine 500/5000 ranking as one of the fastest growing companies
in the United States. Alliance believes in providing efficient and
effective sourcing of specialized recruitment
services that result in consistent, qualified placements that
enhance organizational productivity for its clients. Alliance Staffing
was also recently awarded a NEO Success Award, which recognizes the most
successful companies in the region. For more information on any of
Alliance Staffing’s recruitment capabilities, call 216-525-0100 or visit www.AllianceStaffingSolutions.com.


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21 Jun 2012

Job fair on Thursday to help veterans enter workforce

WWLTV.com
Email: webteam@wwltv.com | Twitter: @WWLTV

KENNER, La. – The U.S. Department of Labor is on a mission to get homeless veterans off the streets and into the workforce.

The Veterans Career Fair and Diversity Job Expo takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday at the Pontchartrain Center.

Just like the veterans job fair at Delgado in April, Thursday’s event will directly link those seeking jobs with those hiring.

Organizers of the fair said there will be managers on hand from 30 companies, including banks, construction companies, food service, stores and government agencies.

They are trying to find the right people for 600 jobs. Those attending this event should be ready to meet and have interviews with those actually doing the hiring, so bringing a resume is recommended.

Congressman Steve Scalise (R – LA) organized the April event and knows how crucial the need is.

“We knew that there were going to be a lot of veterans returning home. You know in our area, thousands of military veterans that have served our country in Iraq that were looking to come back home and try to find new opportunities and careers here. Of course, we wanted them to stay here, but we wanted to reach out to the business community to see what kind of interest there was, and it was overwhelming,” Scalise said.

Thursday’s event is for men, women and military veterans of all ethnicities and all job experience levels.

Before attending, participants should go to www.employmentseeker.net and fill out the pre-registration form, print it out and bring it to the job fair.


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21 Jun 2012

German government, opposition reach deal for Berlin to ratify EU budget discipline pact

BERLIN –  German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition reached a deal Thursday with the opposition parties to ensure that the country ratifies Europe’s budget discipline pact, agreeing to push for a financial transaction tax and support investments to foster economic growth.

However, Merkel’s center-right government blocked opposition calls to accept a so-called European debt redemption fund, sticking to its resistance to any form of pooling debt among eurozone countries.

The government needed a deal with the opposition to secure the necessary two-thirds parliamentary majority for Merkel’s cherished budget discipline pact, the so-called fiscal compact. The agreement clears the way for Parliament’s lower house to approve it June 29, along with the eurozone’s permanent rescue fund.

The government still needs a deal with Germany’s 16 states, which are represented in the upper house, and talks are planned on Sunday.

The leader of the main opposition Social Democrats’ parliamentary group, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said the deal would call for investments using European Union structural funds that haven’t yet been allocated; increasing the lending capacity of the European Investment Bank, which lends money for public projects; and the use of so-called project bonds to finance specific projects.

“The age of austerity is passing,” proclaimed Green party parliamentary leader Juergen Trittin, who said those pro-growth measures would allow for launching “investments in the three-figure billions in the next four years.”

Still, they appear largely in line with what the government has itself proposed ahead of next week’s EU summit, and stopped short of outright stimulus spending. The so-called “pact for sustainable growth and employment” the two sides agreed on Thursday states that spending “should be funded by revenue, not on credit.”

The opposition insisted over recent weeks that it wanted a financial transaction tax — something it has long pushed — in exchange for signing up to the fiscal compact.

The governing coalition’s junior member, the pro-market Free Democrats, long insisted that it was only interested if such a tax could be introduced in the full 27-nation EU — which, given British resistance, wasn’t going to happen.

“We have agreed that, if it doesn’t work out among all 27, we will put together a coalition of the willing, that at least nine states … will launch the taxation of financial markets,” Steinmeier said. The aim is to have legislation in place by the end of the year.

However, the opposition hit a brick wall with its push for a European debt redemption fund along lines proposed last November by the government’s panel of independent economic advisers.

That would see a country’s debts above 60 percent of GDP transferred to a common redemption fund with joint liability. They would be obliged to pay them off over 20-25 years and would have to pledge part of their foreign exchange or gold reserves as security.

Merkel’s coalition remains staunchly opposed to any talk of pooling debt, even if it falls short of issuing jointly guaranteed new bonds, or eurobonds, that would push down struggling countries’ borrowing costs but raise Germany’s.

“There will be no mutualization of debt — debt redemption funds are not permissible constitutionally or according to the provisions of European treaties,” Volker Kauder, who leads the parliamentary caucus of Merkel’s conservative bloc, told reporters.

The Greens said they would keep pushing the point, given the worryingly high level both of existing European debts and of borrowing costs for the likes of Spain and Italy.

“I assume that we will see the implementation (of a redemption fund), just as has practically always been the case so far when the government said something was a taboo and then a bit later had to do it,” party leader Cem Ozdemir said.

The third opposition party, the hard-left Left Party, has consistently opposed Merkel’s eurozone policies and plans to vote against the fiscal compact as well.


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21 Jun 2012

Romney Campaign Reportedly Asked Florida Governor To Downplay Job Growth

Igor Bobic
June 20, 2012, 11:45 PM




Mitt Romney’s campaign asked Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to downplay his state’s job growth after several press releases from the governor’s campaign and messages from the Florida Chamber of Commerce trumpeted gains for the month of May, according to Bloomberg News.

Florida’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.7 percent in April to 8.6 percent in May, though still significantly above the national rate of 8.2 percent.

A Romney adviser reportedly requested that Scott’s office say that Florida’s unemployment rate could improve faster under a Romney presidency, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

The development is perhaps one of the clearest examples of the messaging predicament the Romney campaign finds itself in. For the Republican presidential nominee, the election is largely a referendum on President Obama’s handling of jobs and the economy. And with last month’s weak jobs report, he appeared to have a winning message. Yet when you ask Republican governors how things are going, especially in swing states, the economic picture starts to brighten considerably – as TPM’s Benjy Sarlin first reported back in March:

Florida Gov. Rick Scott used his annual address the same month to brag about how his state had “netted more than 120,000 total jobs in the first 11 months of 2011,” even as unemployment remained among the highest in the nation.

“When I said, ‘Let’s get to work,’ it wasn’t just a slogan,” he said. “Florida got to work, and each Floridian deserves the credit!”

Even in Nevada, which holds the worst unemployment rate in the nation after a devastating housing collapse, Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) is finding reasons to be cheerful.

“Nevada is on the move again!” he told business leaders in December. “We are seeing signs, some large, some small, of economic improvement.”

Update: In what might be one example of the release in question, an email from Scott’s re-election campaign two days ago, on June 18, features the governor highlighting Florida’s unemployment level dropping to the “lowest level since 2008.” Here’s an excerpt:

Dear Friend,

Last week, Florida’s economic recovery reached an important milestone as our unemployment rate dropped to 8.6% – our lowest since 2008.

Lower taxes, reduced regulation and a balanced state-budget continue to drive our remarkable turnaround and set the national standard for job growth. With 9,200 jobs created last month, a total of 99,600 private sector jobs have been added since my first day in office. I’m also happy to report that our unemployment rate has declined for 11 consecutive months.

A post featuring a downward trending graph on Scott’s Facebook page also touts the news, even asking followers if it can reach “800 likes” (It got 2,559).

Late Update: A Facebook post by Florida’s Chamber of Commerce also touted the job gains on June 15:

Florida’s unemployment rate continues to drop! May’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.6% – the lowest since December 2008 – and continues to move in the right direction under Governor Rick Scott! The unemployment rate has dropped 2% in one year. Like this if you think this is good news for Florida!

Mitt Romney, Rick Scott

Igor Bobic

Igor Bobic is the assistant editor of Talking Points Memo, helping oversee the site’s coverage of politics and policy in Washington. While originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor feels best at home on the beaches of Southern California. He can be reached at igor@talkingpointsmemo.com.


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21 Jun 2012

3 Valley companies have cut jobs or may trim positions later

Monday was the last day of operations for most of the workers in Fresno, but Buck said there will be some employees working at its East Ashlan Avenue site through the end of the month. A handful of management employees are relocating from Fresno to Provo.

Of 98 positions lost to the relocation, 78 were in telemarketing, most of which were part-time.

Buck said Provo — home to Brigham Young University — “has been pretty forward-thinking in how they’ve planned for business.”

Data infrastructure, including fiber-optic cable networks, are more readily available than in the Fresno-Clovis area.

“In Fresno, we would have to pay a significant amount of money because we were not the fiber-optic service loop,” he said. “It would be a major cost just to pipe the fiber optics into our facility.”

The cost of leasing a larger space was also a factor, Buck said. The company anticipates having about 350 employees by the end of next year, compared to the 98 it had in Fresno.

Fresno State offered a significant pool from which to hire workers, Buck said, because the company could offer flexible part-time hours to students. But BYU’s main campus in Provo and other universities in nearby cities provide an even bigger pool, he said.

Another company where layoffs may be coming is Hostess Brands, the nationwide baker of Hostess Twinkies and Dolly Madison Zingers snack cakes, Wonder Bread and other brands. The Texas-based company is going through bankruptcy and in early May sent layoff notices to all of its 18,500 employees in the U.S. — including 34 in Fresno, 21 in Tulare and 13 in Merced. The Valley layoffs would include employees in bakery outlet stores in Fresno and Tulare, and sales managers and route salespeople who service retail stores in the region.

The notices provided a 60-day advance of potential layoffs that could occur as soon as July 3.

But Erik Halvorson, a Hostess spokesman, said the company “is simply fulfilling our requirements by sending these notices.”

“The notices were sent to alert employees that a sale or wind-down of the company is possible in the future. However, our goal is still to emerge from bankruptcy as a growing company with a strong future.”

The company does not have a timeline for that, he added.

And as California waits for legislators and Gov. Jerry Brown to finalize a state budget for 2012-13, the nonprofit I-5 Social Services let its 134 employees go on May 31. About 100 are teaching positions. The agency relies heavily on money from contracts to operate its day-care and education centers for children from infancy to age 5 in Cantua Creek, Del Rey, Firebaugh, Huron, Kerman, Madera, Mendota and Selma.

This is not the first time that I-5 Social Services has been disrupted by state budget wrangling. In 2008, delays in state funding forced the agency to temporarily close its doors, and budget problems in other years have threatened to shut down or scale back operations.

Tough times

Three Valley companies have had or are considering layoffs:

Secure Customer Relations: 98 layoffs

Hostess Brands: 68 sent notices

I-5 Social Services: 134 layoffs


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21 Jun 2012

Hundreds flock to retailer Marshalls’ job fair – Sarasota Herald

The applicants — there were roughly 300 by mid-afternoon — ranged from a 19-year-old Walmart cashier to a 50-something, former assistant produce manager at Albertson’s.

“A lot of people are looking at their transferrable skills,” said Mark Staddler, who currently runs a Marshalls in Tallahassee and is transferring to run the new store.

“They would never have looked at a retailer as a job they would consider two years ago,” Staddler said. “Now they would.”

The sheer number of applicants seeking the Marshall’s jobs — where sales associates will start at $8 an hour when the new store debuts in August — shows that nearly three years after the official end to the Great Recession, Southwest Florida’s economy remains in a tenuous recovery.

“With the economy the way it is, you can’t afford to be out of work,” said Deborah Frame, 52, who applied for one of the Marshalls’ jobs.

The Marshalls’ job fair also provides a larger window on the labor market and whether it is improving as statistics seem to indicate. On that point, applicants were split.

“I really can’t say it’s getting better,” said Pene Johnson-Davis, 31, who worked as a nursing assistant until about a year ago. She has been looking for a full-time job for almost two years now.

Craig Betinis, the former Albertson’s employee, seemed disappointed that Marshalls plans to hire its workers on a part-time basis, meaning they will not be eligible for health care or other benefits at first, which is one of his main goals.

“Everybody has tended toward that since Walmart,” said Betinis.

Betinis was among 80 workers Albertson’s shed when the chain closed its University Parkway store on June 9. He believes his six years of experience talking fruit and vegetables with customers should put him in a good place for other retailing jobs.

But JoshLynn Burke, a three-month veteran of Walmart, said she thinks the labor market is much improved over 2010.

“It’s a lot better now,” she said, as compared to two years ago. She credits her experience and the high school diploma she earned in December.

While statistics show the regional job market clearly is stronger than it was even a year ago, many of the jobs that Suncoast Workforce is helping employers like Marshalls fill are low-wage jobs, many without related benefits.

For Suncoast Workforce staffers, the fair is part of a larger framework that will include a similar event for Costco, as it prepares to open at Sarasota Square Mall, said Peter Kiziu, Suncoast’s business services representative.

“The companies that are coming here and opening up some new stores, they have done their studies,” said Kiziu. “It is a very good sign.”

But while some supervisory positions will be filled at the job fair — Wednesday was the first of three days of interviewing for the Marshalls’ jobs — most of the positions will be limited to sales associates, stock clerks and cashiers.

That is fine with Zachary Hollifield, however. At 20, he is looking for a job to help pay for tuition and other expenses at the University of South Florida, where he plans to attend.

Hollifield welcomed the chance for a face-to-face interview, where he could show hiring managers how personable he is, after applying for a series of jobs online.

“It’s kind of annoying, because they don’t know who they’re getting an interview with, or not,” he said.

“Not looking to downsize”

Marshalls is different in other respects, too, Staddler said.

It draws a wide variety of workers, young people who do not yet have a career path, mid-streamers who have been forced to reboot their careers, and semi-retired or retired people looking for spending money and a change in routine.

“We look for people to grow with the company,” said Staddler. “We are not looking to downsize. We are one of the few retailers that are growing. We look to promote from within.”

Still, he acknowledges that the store’s plan is to eventually whittle the number of Bradenton employees to about 55, from an initial 70.

For now, at least, that idea does not bother Frame, who in April lost her job as an office administrator at a Sarasota used car dealership. She lost a similar job in August 2010, when the Bradenton dealership she worked for restructured and eliminated her position.

She knows, too, that if she lands one of the Marshalls’ jobs, it will not pay anywhere close to the $16.50 an hour she earned at the dealership.

But she likes her chances, thanks to her back-office experience, and the thought of advancing within Marshalls is appealing, as well.

Still, she knows her working life will one day come to a close, and she frets about the future.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “Fifteen more years and I would like to retire. But I don’t know now if that is going to happen.”


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