Working Interests

Meet Norma from Braxton County, West Virginia. 

Norma moved to West Virginia from out of state to live with her daughter and family.  She has been searching for employment for the past six months with the assistance of JSI.  Norma is signed up for services through the WV DRS and has had the opportunity of doing a Community Based Assessment (CBA) which allows Norma to go out into the community and find businesses that she might enjoy working at.  Through this process,  JSI contacts a business and schedules an Informational Interview where we and Norma can learn more about the business.  After contacting several businesses, we found a business that Norma was interested in.  Norma has been working at the new Book Warehouse located in the Flatwoods Mall. 

The Book Warehouse is a new bookstore that recently opened its doors.  At the bookstore, Norma has been reorganizing the entire book audio section.  She really enjoys working at the bookstore because Norma loves reading.  She has been organizing all the audio books in alphabetical order.  She has learned how to "face" or "spine" a book to allow for space and attractiveness on the shelf.  As the bookstore receives new shipments, more books are added to the shelves.  Norma has been working in this one area of the bookstore and really enjoys the work.  She said that it gave her an opportunity to learn new authors and what books are available.  The tasks that she performs allow Norma's skills and experience to shine through.  Norma also enjoys the social aspect of the work where she has the opportunity to chat with customers and the employees about books. 

Norma is also involved in the community through service at the Thrift Store in Gassaway and the Senior Citizens in Sutton.  She attends church on a regular basis with her family and feels that Braxton County is now her new home. 

No Limits

Spencer is a recent high school graduate looking to make his mark in his community.  It didn't take Spencer long to find his fit into a small family niche at the Holiday Inn Express.  With the booming gas and oil industry in the area, the local hotel staff are more than busy.  Spencer was able to step right in to the group and alleviate the work load for the housekeepers.  He learned the hotel standard for folding and washing the linens, stripping and cleaning the rooms, and general housekeeping duties.  He started his work schedule with two days a week and increased his time to three days per week.  When talking with the hotel staff, they agree that Spencer's hard work pays off and his free spirit adds an integral part to the family dynamic at the hotel.  But Spencer doesn't stop there.  He is an active member in his community and an avid WVU fan.  He is also extremely fond of the entertainment industry and is scheduled for a tour and possible volunteer assigment with a local volunteer based theatre group, MT Pockets.  With all of Spencer's interests and tenancity Spencer has no limits. 

In Memory of Dave Hammis 

 For the past three years Dave has been coming to train all of us here at Job Squad in Bridgeport, WV. My memories are of long days full of wonderful discussions with job seekers and business owners. Dave helped me write my first two PASSes. It's hard to imagine not seeing his gentle smile at our office henceforth. This little video may help us remember a dear friend and mentor who was always willing to share his passions and skills.

Jaime's PASS Approved!

In mid June, Jamie received word that her Plan-to-Achieve Self-Support was approved! The plan is retroactive to the date of submission (March 2012) and will set aside $698/month to be used towards college expenses, such as books, supplies, and food.

Jamie paid off old student debt using a Compensating Balance Loan offered by CWV TEL, in partership with Job Squad. Her tuition is being covered by the PELL grant and the WV Higher Education Grant. She is also hoping to receive support from WVDRS following contact with her college counselor.

If all goes as planned, Jamie will graduate with a bachelor's degree in sociology and zero student debt!

A very bright future indeed!

Customizing Employment

One of the many services that Job Squad provides for their job seekers is Customized Employment (CE).  CE is actually defined as individualizing the employment relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both.  It is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the person with a disability, and is designed to meet the specific needs of the employer.

While working with two of our job seekers, we discovered that one had previous experience doing laundry in a group home for all the residents.  Our other job seeker had experience doing laundry at home for her family members.  Both individuals were interested in working in a service type industry.  By developing a business relationship with a local hotel, we were able to meet with the manager for an Informational Interview.  We identified specific job duties and employer expectations in the interview, and had the opportunity to negotiate with the employer the job seekers’ strengths, needs, and interests.  Once each job seeker was known by the hotel, work was explored on their terms through On-the-Job-Training (OJT).  Each job seeker was allowed to observe duties that were done in the laundry room area.  Because of negotiation, the job seeker was not expected to work in “housekeeping”, but instead, work in the “laundry” area only.  Through CE, job tasks were negotiated that enhanced each worker’s competencies and provided them with an ideal condition for employment.  Each of our job seekers has certain duties to perform that are unique to their abilities.  One of the job seekers job tasks include folding the pillow cases, wash cloths, bath mats, and small and large towels only.  The other job seeker completes tasks such as unloading the laundry chute, loading and unloading the washers and dryers, setting the controls on the machines according to the load that is to be washed or dried, and folding all the linens except for the flat and fitted sheets.

Both job seekers were openly welcomed at their new employment sites.  The hotel staff gave them a smock with their nametag just like the other employees wear.  Each job seeker works at a different hotel site, but it is the same chain.  Both are extremely happy with their employment and the employers are happy with their new employees.  Each job seeker attends mandatory staff meetings just like any other employee, and both are earning a competitive wage.  The hotel management is willing to work around their schedules so that the job seeker can keep doctor appointments or other appointments that arise.  The employers and co-workers have told me they look forward to having our job seekers working at the hotel.  Not only do they meet the needs of the employer, but they feel they are a blessing to have them on board working with them.  Customized employment is a useful means of allowing people with significant disabilities the opportunity to work in an environment where their strengths, needs, and interests are fulfilled and the employer’s specific needs are also met.

Guest Blog: Creating Opportunity Using a Compensating Balance Loan

(Our Guest Blogger, Jamie Alderman is seated at left. Sitting at the desk is Shannon Kile, Loan Officer with CWV TEL Federal Credit Union.)

Hello. My name is Jamie Alderman and I am ready to go back to college. The CWV TEL Federal Credit Union has made that next step possible for me.

Up to this point, service industry employment has not offered the career challenges I am seeking. I am looking for something that is more intellectually stimulating. I will be studying Sociology (undergraduate), then Seminary (graduate school). I will develop my people skills in the ministry--graduating as a pastor and using my education and skills to teach, counsel, and minister to my congregation.

I owed approximately $1,200 in old student loan debt. Systems such as VR and PASS cannot pay of my existing debt so that I can go back to school sooner, rather than later. I could have waited until I paid the debt off myself, but that would have taken about 4 more years according to my current payment schedule. Instead, the loan offered by CWV TEL  has made it possible for me to go back to school next semester.

Russell's quick note:

This is Job Squad's 2nd round with a Compensating Balance Loan. The first was done in partnership with the Center for Social Capital. Jaime's loan is 100% guaranteed by a JSI deposit with CWV TEL, equivalent to Jaime's loan principle.

Thank you to Carol Johnson of CWV TEL for making this happen! And to Ian Rudick for connecting JSI with such an outstanding group of folks at CWV TEL Federal Credit Union!

American jobs, in America, being done by Americans? What a concept!

First, let me state clearly that I do not presume to have the answers as to why American jobs are being shipped overseas. However, I will throw some thoughts out there for us think about.

Americans and multinational firms have worked hand in hand for years, contributing largely to America’s prosperity of recent times. However, this partnership has been in heavy decline over the past decade, with US multinationals shedding approximately 2.9 million US workers since 2000 and picking up approximately 2.4 million workers overseas.

The easiest thing to blame it on is cheap labor and greedy executives. Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE and head of the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, said that "the era of globalization around cheap labor is over. … Today we go to Brazil, we go to China, … India, because that’s where the customers are." Many of those customers Immelt refers to are multinationals that did move factories abroad for cheap labor and which need GE there to supply them. However, the era of globalization around cheap labor is still upon us. The yearly trade deficit with China regularly runs in the hundreds of billion dollars, proving that cheap labor is still a heavy influence driving globalization, but this is hardly the only dynamic driving our jobs overseas.

The American worker/consumer has a role to play in this game as well. First, the American workforce is old. Older workers, who carry a lifetime of raises and benefits hikes, are the most expensive to keep. Advanced countries such as our own with an aging workforces have huge social costs that demand higher taxes and higher public debt. This can get the multinational companies looking elsewhere. As to the American consumer, we throw our hands up in outrage over the “greedy executives” who ship American jobs overseas just so they can take home their big bonus at the end of the year, yet we think nothing of buying a foreign product because it is cheaper. Hypocrisy? I think so. It’s not for me to say whether either is right, but we cannot have it both ways. If we condemn a multinational company for shipping jobs overseas, we must condemn ourselves for purchases foreign products.

Could it also be that the American worker is not what he/she used to be? While it is true that companies will look for cheaper labor, most will only do so to the extent that it is reliable and can get the job done right. Scores from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment showed 15-year-old students in the U.S. performing about average in reading and science, and below average in math. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. In the United States of America, “average” should never be acceptable when it comes to our education. Whether the blame lies at the feet of the teachers, parents, government, students, or our current society is up for much debate, but the statistics show that the American student/worker is not considered the most educated.

A final reason I’d like to mention is our own government tax policy. Over the past four decades, every other major trading country in the world has put into place a border-adjusted business consumption tax. This places American companies, on average, at an 18% tax disadvantage with our competitors. Meanwhile, foreign manufacturers of goods shipped into the United States don’t have to pay our corporate taxes, along with receiving a tax credit on their business consumption tax back home. For example, Germany enjoys an advantage of 19% under this system. That means that a 19% tax is added to the cost of a Cadillac when GM exports it to Germany. And when a Mercedes makes its way to the U.S., not only does the German manufacturer not have to pay a similar tax, it also receives a refund from its own government on the 19% tax it paid for the goods and services that went into building their car. How’s that fair trade working out for you? Until we level the playing field and implement our own business consumption tax, American companies will be at a consistent disadvantage to their overseas competitors.

With all that being said, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Supply and demand is starting to push up production costs in countries like China, and some economic forecasts are predicting a return home for some of these manufacturing jobs. However, it important to remember how much power that you, the American consumer, hold in your hands. Here is a Top Ten Reasons to Buy American list compiled by madeinusaforever.com:

10) Foreign labor standards allow unsafe worker conditions in many countries. When you buy American you support not only American manufacturers but also American workers, safe working conditions, and child labor laws.
9) Jobs shipped abroad almost never return. When you buy goods made in the USA, you help keep the American economy growing.
8) US manufacturing processes are much cleaner for the environment than many other countries; many brands sold here are produced in countries using dangerous, heavily polluting processes. When you purchase American-made product, you know that you're helping to keep the world a little cleaner for your children.
7) Many countries have no minimum wage restrictions, or the minimum wage is outrageously low. When you choose products made in the USA, you contribute to the payment of an honest day's wages for an honest day's work.
6) The growing lack of USA ability to manufacture many products is strategically unsound. When you seek out American-made goods, you foster American independence.
5) The huge US trade deficit leads to massive, unsustainable borrowing from other countries. Debt isn't good for you and it isn't good for America.
4) Foreign product safety standards are low. For example, poisonous levels of lead are in tens of millions of toys shipped to the USA. When you buy toys and other goods made in the USA, you can be confident that American consumer protection laws and safety standards are in place to protect your family.
3) Lack of minimum wage, worker safety, or environmental pollution controls in many countries undermines the concept of "fair and free trade". No Western nation can ultimately compete on price with a country willing to massively exploit and pollute its own people. When you buy only American-made products, you insist on a higher standard.
2) Factories and money are shifting to countries not friendly to the USA or democracy. When you avoid imported goods in favor of American-made items, you help ensure that the United States doesn't find its access to vital goods impacted by political conflict.
1) As the US manufacturing ability fades, future generations of US citizens will be unable to find relevant jobs. Buy American and help keep your friends and neighbors-and even yourself-earning a living wage.

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The Power of (Social) Networks

Very interesting example of using social networks to address an individual, business, and community need. How do we do this constructively/creatively and purposefully, one person at a time?