Since when is a labor union a counseling service? And why would we pay a union to do what we already pay public workers (in a union) to do the same thing? (Well actually, apparently union workers need pre-counseling, to help acclimate themselves to the real world) Sounds like a kickback to an organization that helps elect politicians to you? Does to me. Even sounds that way to County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman- and she gets money and backing from the union!
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.
I just screened in front of AFL-CIO leadership- I’m sure this post will kill any chance of an endorsement. However, in times like these, we can’t afford special treatment for union workers anymore than we can afford bonuses and pensions for the executives that fired them in the first place.
It’s time for a reality check on where our tax dollars are going- and on what people can get paid at companies that accept money from selling stock. While investors shouldn’t have any guarantee of a return- they should also be shielded from outrageous compensation paid for sub-par performance.
As to hiring unions as job counselors- it just sounds like a way to guarantee support in the next election for our Governor.