Faced with certain job loss in just two months, Cabletron workers are seeking alternatives and options for employment and retraining.

Monday, July 12, 1999

Faced with certain job loss in just two months, Cabletron workers are seeking alternatives and options for employment and retraining.

And some of the main concerns expressed by those calling Ironton’s Job Training Partnership Act office include questions of money and childcare in the meantime, JTPA interim director Heather Ervin said.

Answers are available and within easy reach as well, she added.

"We’ve had some phone calls and also some people have stopped by to ask if services are available to them, and we are always able to answer their questions," Ms. Ervin said. "Some of the services that we can provide that are of benefit during training include daycare and all training related expenses, including classes."

With JTPA, displaced workers can take advantage of training without incurring the debt normally associated with schooling and technical training, she said.

"We are here to ease the burden financially, and also to ease the burden by taking care of the babysitting and other issues like that," she said. "In a sense, our location is an advantage to these workers because we are in an area where this assistance is made available."

But with more than 300 workers sure to be displaced by June, JTPA officials are looking for some help of their own.

"We will be applying for needs-related payments, and if that is awarded, it will extend their unemployment payments," she said. "This is available through the state by applying to the U.S. Department of Labor. Some might not be interested in long-term training, but we can help them with relocation assistance if they are interested in moving out of the area to take a good job, or resume services and others that we have access to in order to help them find employment."

Ms. Ervin and JTPA also will meet with Cabletron officials to combine efforts to find new avenues of employment for the workers, she said.

"We will be meeting with everyone in the company next week to offer services and to try and make them aware or help them utilize all other services in the county that might be of assistance," she said. "At that time, we’ll take any questions and try to allay any fears they might have."

Medical insurance and other benefits that are lost with the plant’s closure could also be recaptured by utilizing JTPA’s expertise, she added.

"If there is a service or a need that the workers have that we don’t provide, we offer assistance in locating agencies who do offer these services," Ms. Ervin said. "We can help them get set up with family resources through the Community Action Organization and any other agencies that provide help to people in their position."

For more information, contact the JTPA office at 532-3140.