What’s going on here in Kentucky’s employment scene is typical nationally:
With the economy slowly reviving, an executive from Atlas Van Lines recently visited Louisville, Ky., with good news: the company wanted to hire more than 100 truck drivers ahead of the summer moving season.
But a usually reliable source of workers, the local government-financed job center, could offer little help, because the federal money that local officials had designated to help train drivers was already exhausted. Without the government assistance, many of the people who would be interested in applying for the driving jobs could not afford the $4,000 classes to obtain commercial driverâs licenses. Now Atlas is struggling to find eligible drivers.
Across the country, work force centers that assist the unemployed are being asked to do more with less as federal funds dwindle for job training and related services.
And that’s because Republicans have cut job training programs again and again. Both this year’s version of the Ryan Austerity Plan and last year’s version called for massive cuts to job training programs, and the Republicans got a healthy chunk of those cuts as part of budget deals (that they are looking to renege upon now). By the way, every single Republican in Congress voted to keep paying federal oil subsidies which would have more than covered the job training budget several times over. Instead, these programs are out of money in April already.
To bolster training and other services for jobless workers, the Obama administration recently proposed consolidating two programs. The general dislocated worker program paid for under the Workforce Investment Act would be combined with the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which provides training and other benefits to workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition.
The trade program, which has an annual budget of $575 million, is typically more generous, but narrow in eligibility. The combined program would make all funds available to anyone who had lost a job, regardless of the reason.
In his latest budget proposal, President Obama also requested an additional $2.8 billion a year for job training over the next decade. âEven in this very tight budget,â said Gene Sperling, national economic adviser, âthe president felt that there was an imperative to call right now for a more simplified and effective training systemâ that also had an increase in funds.
You’re probably saying to yourself “Why cut job training programs for people who want to work when unemployment is as high as it is?” You’ve answered your own question, same as why Republicans want to eliminate federal programs for birth control, preventative care, sex education, early childhood education, and day care. They don’t want anything to get better for the working poor. They might end up with an extra five bucks to give to a Democrat. Can’t have that. Gotta have tax cuts for the Job Creators instead. That’ll teach you to be poor.
Scott
Particularly ironic, as another common GOP response to unemployment was “Just go get job training and find a new job.” Can’t get job training when no one’s around to give it to you.
Sometimes, I think they want someone to kick off a new French revolution. Maybe they think this time, they’ll be the ones running the guillotines…
c u n d gulag
We can ALL console ourselves with this thought:
At least “The Job Creators” are doing ok – or else, WHEW!, would WE be in trouble!
Oh, wait – I said “The Job Creators,” and didn’t offer thanks.
Please join me in “The Job Creators Prayer.”
All kneel…
Our Job-creating Fathers,
Which art in mansions as if in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy Names.
Thy Kingdom has come..
Thy will IS done on earth,
As it is in heaven – if cash is the measurement there, like here.
Give us this day our daily bread – in the form of crumbs.
And forgive us our trespasses – don’t have the security guards shoot us if we get too close,
As we DON’T forgive those that trespass against us – the damn moochers and their Liberal defenders!
And lead us not into temptation – ’cause we might want what you already have,
But deliver us from the evil that is Kenyan Socialist-Fascist-Communism, like ACA ObamaCare.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power,
And the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen…
All rise!
Ok, go about your day!
And remember to thank the rich every day for all of the blessing they have heaped upon us.
I, for one, can’t see over the heap that they’ve trickled down on my poor, fat, unemployed ass.
Linda Featheringill
According to a short search on Google, the Occupy movement is becoming visible again, including chapters in Kentucky. That’s good.
At the moment, Occupy is probably our best source of education for the general public.
Boudica
God forbid the companies wanting to hire people actually pay to train them…..
James Gary
Frustratingly the article didn’t explain why Atlas Van Lines didn’t just put up the money for retraining themselves–especially since the executive quoted in the article mentioned that he was willing to do so. Odd omission.
I’m not suggesting that companies that want to hire are always in a position to pay for retraining, but it would’ve been nice to know the exact details.
rageahol
please remember:
these are the same folks that elected Rand Paul.
the Conster (f/k/a Cat Lady)
@rageahol:
and Mitch McConnell. It’s hard to find sympathy for them.
jefft452
@c u n d gulag:
âPraise Boss when morning work-bells chime
Praise Him for bits of overtime
Praise Him whose wars we fight
Praise Him â fat leech and parasiteâ
jefft452
@Boudica: âGod forbid the companies wanting to hire people actually pay to train themâŠ..â
Very valid point in an rapidly expanding economy, right now not so much
Schlemizel
The solution is actually pretty simple: elect Republicans this fall. With Willard in the WH & the GOP in control of Congress lots of Federal money will suddenly start flowing out into districts and jobs programs will spring up (mostly in the form of cash grants to GOP governors).
It will never be called stimulus and the massive deficits will go unremarked but the results will be as expected.
Schlemizel
@jefft452:
I am so stealing that!
c u n d gulag
@Schlemizel:
TOTALLY!
Only it won’t be called a “Stimulus Package.”
They’ll need some patriotic name, like “The Ronald Maximus Reagan – Wake-up! It’s Morning In American Again, and It’s Time to Get Ready For Work Plan!”
And they’ll deny it’s Keynesian Economics to their dying day!
Mino
Any federal dollar that can be stolen from its intended purpose is also being grabbed by states to fill budget holes created by tax give-aways to their corporate cronies.
Blind pigs are suddenly finding truffles. Republicans might be in for a shock.
Davis X. Machina
@Mino: Remember, they’re for smaller government. It’s an austere, philosophically grounded movement, based on the great conservative thinkers from the past.
They have taught us that there are only two legitimate roles for government — bombing the shit out of brown people who worship the wrong God, and providing their friends’ getaway cars with a nice police escort en route to the Caymans.
It’s in Burke. Or Oakeshott. I forget which, but it’s in there.
superdestroyer
A few points:
1. How many jobs training programs are training people for jobs that do not exist? Does the government really have a history of success of predicting what private employers will need in the future?
2. Why should the government spend money to training temporary workers for Atlas. Maybe Atlas should review its business process and figure out why workers keep leaving and why Atlas constantly needs a new supply of trained drivers.
3. Is there private companies who could train drivers for a share of the drivers’ future earnings.
rikyrah
nothing about this story is shocking in the least.
Davis X. Machina
@superdestroyer:
. Hey, that worked last time…
Mino
@Davis X. Machina: Everything old is new.
thruppence
ââŠeveryone but an idiot knows that the lower classes must be kept poor, or they will never be industrious.â – Arthur Young; 1771
quoted in “The Invention of Capitalism” by Michael Perelman
Cathy W
Meanwhile – I listen to a Canadian radio station for part of my drive to and from work, and I keep hearing public service announcements from the government of Canada about how apprentices in skilled trades – everything from carpentry to auto repair to pastry! – are eligible for a government subsidy of up to $5k, and by the way, any tools you bought in the past year are probably tax-deductible.
And, Superdestroyer, I’m right there with you on #2. Companies in general used to train entry-level employees… and now they seem to expect them to spring fully-formed from the head of Zeus with three years experience. If Atlas can’t find qualified truck drivers, it might be worth Atlas’s time to pay for some people to become qualified.
RalfW
I agree that the GOP is willing to push the shiv into any poor person – or even working class person – at any time. But the main reason, even beyond tax cuts, that they are doing this is because any government program that works, that shows that government can have a positive impact on people’s lives has to be killed.
That is why the holy grail is privatizing Meidcare and Social Security. All the rest are appetizers, and they’re making frightening headway on that course as they destroy training programs, early childhood support, etc.
But make no mistake, the poor and even the non-white are merely worry-free casualties to the core agenda: Make government as weak, ineffective, useless and listless as possible.
Except for a massive military and police/surveillance, they want no part of government to function.
I can’t see how living in the fascism they are heading us towards can being desirable even for the gated, pampered, helicoptered rich. But then, I am convinced that not one of these bastards has thought through the long-term implications of their reptilian desire to dismantle gov’t for Freedumb.
SpotWeld
GOP is very much anti competition / anti small business.
Training initaives like the one mentioned really help small business because they can grow from small without huge risk financially.
Large companties have the capital or fund to pay for training, or leverage to make 3 parties do it for them.
Cutting these iniatives really don’t hurt the biggest of the big, just smaller companies that might be future competition.
RalfW
@superdestroyer:
Dude. It’s not like the government is having to predict that there’s a need for truck drivers. There’s a big gap in current need. And the training programs exist. This is purely a matter of having the financing available for the students who want to enroll and want to be drivers being able to afford it.
Was that not clear in the post?
Kirk Spencer
@superdestroyer:
Surprisingly few, and yes. See, doesn’t pick this, that, and the other job and “only so many”. It is more like college funding: you pick your trainer, and provided they have done the paperwork (that’s meant to reduce scams), they don’t care what you’re training to be.
The reason for temporary drivers for Atlas is that Atlas is a moving company. The economics of moving companies is that about 60% of the work happens over the summer. (I used to work for a moving company, it helped pay for my undergraduate degree.) Add to this that (finally) there is an increasing demand for truck drivers and a lot who’ve let their licenses expire.
Yes. Some do, some don’t. Note that those that do are share of future earnings up to a cap, then the deal is done. Regardless, however, it’s expensive to run those schools. Fuel, several vehicles, insurance for student drivers, it adds up. Insurance companies (for one) will not let you pay tomorrow for a hamburger today.
jonas
Re: Atlas Van Lines training drivers — if Atlas is like most trucking companies, its drivers are independent contractors. Atlas pays them by the mile to haul stuff, but they need their own rig (or have to lease one from Atlas) and would be expected to bring their own training/experience to the job. Atlas probably does not, and never has, trained its drivers.
As a couple of people already pointed out, it’s pretty damn ironic that so many people facing these problems will turn around and vote for a guy like Rand Paul. Their thinking is probably something along the lines of “well, we might have some money for these training programs if Obama hadn’t run up the deficit with all those give-aways to Detroit union thugs and T-bones for all those young bucks on welfare…”
James Gary
@jonas:
Atlas probably does not, and never has, trained its drivers.
From the article:
Atlas recently lowered the number of driving hours required and is offering a signing bonus of $3,000. Mr. Griffin said the company would consider training applicants itself if they would âsign a piece of paper saying that when they graduate they will come to work for us for two years.â
Somewhat annoyingly, the NYT writer failed to follow up on this. Signing a two-year committment doesn’t seem–at least to me– too high a price for having one’s training paid for. I’m wondering what other factors are in play here.
jonas
@James Gary: thanks for pointing that out. When I read that, it somehow registered with me as “we’re so desperate, we’d even be willing to consider training drivers who made a two year commitment to us,” meaning that they’re willing to take the unusual step of actually providing training in order to get drivers.
Yeah, and it seems odd that still no-one’s taking them up on it…
Steve
@James Gary: Well, a two-year commitment is unenforceable in the sense that if someone decides to quit, you can’t exactly go to court and force them to keep coming to work.
What you can do, and what happens in some industries, is that you can pay for someone’s training with a “forgivable loan” that gets automatically taken off the books if the worker stays in the job for two years or however long. That’s not necessarily a bad concept. The problem is that if you’re talking about sums of money that aren’t very large (like $4,000), the administrative costs of suing people to get your loans back sort of overwhelm the benefits of the program.
One persuasive reason for the government to get involved is that the government is already involved. The reason you need an expensive commercial driver’s license is because the government requires you to have one. Licensing requirements are supposed to make sure that only individuals with the requisite training and skills do the job; they’re not supposed to become economic barriers to entry. There’s nothing communistic about the government acting to ameliorate the consequences of its own licensing requirement.
James Gary
@Steve: Regarding commitments, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. People sign contracts to the effect of “Person Z will work for Company X for Y years” all the time.
As for the licensing issue, I’m willing to assume in this case that the training is necessary to insure the worker can do his job in a safe and competent fashion. Whether or not licensing is a barrier to entry seems a completely separate discussion (and there’s a guy you may know named Yglesias who will be happy to ride that particular hobbyhorse all day with you.)
Mnemosyne
We used to have an occasional commenter (I think it was angelia sparrow?) who drove a truck for a living who could probably answer some of these questions but IIRC, trucking companies have always expected people to pay for their own training. It’s a much harder job than people realize and does take quite a bit of skill because oftentimes car drivers are idiots. Fortunately, the truck’s driver was skilled and experienced enough that no one got hurt, even the idiot who rear-ended him.
Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor
@SpotWeld:
This.
The GOP is the best friend monopoly power ever had.
El Cid
File this under “People Unexpectedly Frustrated By the Predictable Consequences of Their Actions.”
James Gary
@Mnemosyne: I don’t think the practices of any particular industry are really the point here. It’s more my annoyance with the Times for leaving such a huge and obvious hole in the story.
Mnemosyne
@James Gary:
Yeah, the Times didn’t really explain things very well. I was more responding to the people saying, “Well, why doesn’t the company just pay for the training?” IIRC, trucking companies don’t usually pay for driver training any more than hospitals pay for nurse training.
It sounds like the company is willing to pay for the training but is still having trouble finding people and it would have been nice for the story to explain why.
El Cid
Companies used to have to pay for training, until state and local governments began offering to publicly fund technical institutes (community colleges) to train their workers for free so as to lure jobs to an area.
burnspbesq
@Davis X. Machina:
“Itâs in Burke. Or Oakeshott. I forget which, but itâs in there.”
It’s not, and you know perfectly well it’s not. The average Republican doesn’t know Edmund Burke from “Burke’s Law,” and thinks Oakeshott is two ounces of Southern Comfort in a wooden cup.
“Republican” and “conservative” are not synonyms. The Republican party is a radical right-wing party dedicated to destroying everything that has ever been good about this country. The Democratic party is the closest thing we have to an authentically conservative party in this country.
JoyfulA
Or Atlas could hire some unemployed people and train the new employees themselves. Or Atlas could pay for the training.
Corporate America still wants limited government and low taxes, right? In the good old days, companies hired people and trained them. Now they want government to give them trained, certified employees JIT.
jefft452
@Schlemizel:
its a turn of the century IWW song
Steve
@James Gary:
Are you sure about that? What do you suppose happens if Person Z leaves before the time is up?
jefft452
@Steve: “What do you suppose happens if Person Z leaves before the time is up?”
They cant get paid to do the same job by somebody else
These types of contracts exist, for example movie stars – If you have a contract with studio A, then studio A cant force you to be in thier movie, but they can sue you for anything studio B pays you to be in thiers
but they are subject to hightend scrutiny, and most dont stand up
Another Halocene Human
But without job training, “job creators” will have to pay more overtime and even raise wages in order to have an adequate workforce… that, or give up business to the competition.
Business owners paying dues to the Chamber of Commerce (state or national) is like chickens joining the Frank Perdue Loves Him Some Chickens Club.
And in news that will surprise no-one, among the biggest backers of the CoC are nasty retail banks and Kochs.