Luzerne County Government

July 2, 2010

County workforce agency outsourced

Positions filled by contractors who held job fairs to replace the 66 government workers.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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The outsourcing of Luzerne County’s Career Link offices in Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre took effect Thursday, resulting in the layoff of county Workforce Investment Development Agency employees who previously handled the job placement and training work.

The Luzerne-Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, or WIB, approved the outsourcing in May, awarding the work to Employment Data Systems Inc., ReDCo Group and Arbor Employment & Training.

The county Workforce Investment agency employed 40.

According to a board press release issued Thursday, the three newly hired contractors held job fairs for the 66 workers in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties who were displaced by the outsourcing, and 35 workers attended.

The three companies received 42 applications, and all applicants were interviewed for positions, the release said. The companies offered employment to 27 workers and 19 ended up accepting jobs. Another eight declined job offers and three are still considering positions, the release said.

Paula Schnelly, who heads the union that represents 36 of the 40 impacted Luzerne County workers, said Thursday that she has been informed that seven Luzerne County union employees have accepted jobs with two of the new companies.

Schnelly, of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Local 1398, known as AFSCME, said she blames county commissioners for “allowing the Workforce Investment Development Agency to be outsourced.”

County workers who previously helped the unemployed are now out of jobs, she said.

“Their actions have resulted in a loss of revenue to the county, and they’ve taken jobs previously controlled by Luzerne County and given them away to out-of-state companies,” Schnelly said of the commissioners.

Commissioners have said that they had no power to stop the outsourcing because the Workforce Investment Board decides which entities provide the services for unemployed and underprivileged youth.

The board expects more accountability and improved services with the new providers, allowing more funding to be spent on clients, according to the board release. The state allocates roughly $11 million for the jobs programs.

The board is also adopting new policies to correct past practices that lead to deficiencies uncovered by state and federal audits when the offices were operated by the county Workforce Investment agency, the release said.

“We are working hard to implement new policies that will guide our WIB in the right direction to become a high-performing work force investment board,” board Chairwoman Martha M. Herron said in the release.

Members of the 37-person board, many business leaders, are appointed by commissioners in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties.

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