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State spending $2M on labor agency to help jobless

Worker outreach program draws criticism from  county officials.

Rick Studzinski, a former GM employee, is now studying to be an LPN as a part of Montgomery County’s displaced worker program. “You can’t wait for somebody to do something for you,” he said.

Staff photo by Jennalee Ziegler Rick Studzinski, a former GM employee, is now studying to be an LPN as a part of Montgomery County’s displaced worker program. “You can’t wait for somebody to do something for you,” he said.

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By Lynn Hulsey, Staff Writer 12:50 AM Tuesday, August 11, 2009

DAYTON — The state is spending $2 million to hire the AFL-CIO’s United Labor Agency to reach out to workers losing their jobs statewide.

A new contract with the union was just signed and the union this month will open an outreach center for workers at the IUE hall at 1675 Woodman Ave.

“The idea is that people will go to a place where they are comfortable, where they know the people,” said Marcia Tolles, director of rapid response for Ohio AFL-CIO. “It’s a place that gets people ready for the services administered by the county.”

The money does not pay for retraining or provide front-line services. Instead, the union trains peer-to-peer counselors to tell workers how to access dislocated worker services, such as training, resume writing, and job hunting. The union also sets up labor management teams to plan for layoffs.

Montgomery County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman last week questioned the expenditure and why the union is opening a separate outreach center, when the county has a full-service Job Center in Dayton and a separate career transition center in Moraine targeting auto workers.

“I don’t know how there’s any money for this,” county Administrator Deborah Feldman said.

That expenditure comes even as the federal Workforce Investment Act, which pays for services to dislocated workers, was cut by about 30 percent this fiscal year, said Heath MacAlpine, assistant director for Montgomery County Job and Family Services. Those cuts cost the county nearly $500,000, reducing this fiscal year’s funding to $1.9 million.

“My only concern I would have is if the state of Ohio runs short of WIA dollars,” MacAlpine said. “Providing services to the dislocated worker is the best way to spend money when there is not enough of it. If there’s enough, then we can do add-on services like this agreement with (the United Labor Agency).”

Tolles and Susan Crotty, deputy director of Ohio’s Office of Workforce Development, defended the union program, saying outreach can increase the number of people seeking county services.

Tolles said workers might not be comfortable going to job centers, especially if they are also welfare offices, or know what questions to ask when they get there.

The union spent $800,000 over 18 months training 500 peer-to-peer counselors and setting up 40 labor-management teams. The new contract is for $1.2 million.

Tolles said the union has worked with 270 plants or state government departments doing layoffs, serving union and non-union employees. But she cannot say how many workers have been helped.

“What we do know is that in the areas where we have trained peers and had labor management committees is the usage of the work force system increases,” Tolles said.

Local county officials do not see existing programs as hard to find or to use.

Richard Studzinski said he didn’t have any problem finding Montgomery County’s transition center or taking advantage of the programs offered.

The day in June 2008 he learned his job at General Motors would be eliminated, he went to the transition center. Today, the single father from Moraine is close to graduating from nursing school at Hondros College in Fairborn.

“I think the biggest thing is to be motivated enough and be patient enough to find out all the facts of what you need to do on your part,” said Studzinski, 44. “You can’t be lazy and you can’t wait for somebody to do something for you.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7455 or lhulsey @DaytonDailyNews.com.

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