ATTACHMENT I
1. Timely Contact
and Planning
a. Rapid Response is delivered in consultation with Local Workforce
Investment Board and One-Stop service providers.
b. On-site contact with the employer
State Rapid Response Dislocated
Worker Unit staff initiate on-site contact with airport passenger and baggage
screening contractors for each airport based on the information provided by the
Department of Labor in a preliminary briefing conference call by the Assistant
Secretary with state contacts.
Early contact may be initiated
by the State Rapid Response staff based on the generally held public knowledge
that airport personnel will be subject to potential termination as a result of
the Department of Transportation assumption of the responsibility for airport
security screening. Receipt of a WARN
notice by the State Dislocated Worker Unit is not required in order for initial
contact with the contract employer to occur.
c. Planning for delivery of Rapid Response
services to affected workers
The contact shall be for the
purpose of making arrangements for provision of rapid response services to the
affected workers. The layoff date will
vary for each airport (see list faxed by Assistant Secretary DeRocco). Any information regarding the present
screening workforce that can be made available by the contractor during this
initial planning period will enhance the planning process. It is especially important to determine if
there are affected workers with limited English proficiency for whom
translation services will be needed, including translated forms.
d. Involvement of union in planning
Where a union represents the
workers, union officials shall be contacted soon after the initial employer
contact or in a joint meeting. Unions
may have input and suggestions regarding the design and implementation of
services to serve their members.
2.
Orientation
A Rapid Response orientation meeting with affected workers
should be conducted within 5 working days of the initial employer contact. In some instances, contract employers may be
reluctant to cooperate with Rapid Response staff. In an effort to address this potential lack of access to the
affected workers, the Department is working with the Transportation Security Administration
to ensure that present security
contractors are informed of the importance of cooperation
with all federal and state efforts to ensure that individuals who are not
selected for federal jobs will have had prior access to information regarding
employment and training services available to them.
In most instances, considerably more than one orientation
meeting will be necessary to assure that affected employees from all shifts are
able to attend. If it cannot be
determined which workers will be selected by the Department of Transportation
as new Federal employees, all employees shall be provided the opportunity to
attend an orientation meeting. The
meeting shall be held at a convenient site at the airport or a nearby facility
such as a hotel (Rapid Response funds may be used for rental of facilities if
none are immediately available. Some
State Rapid Response staff have been successful in asking the employer to
assume the costs of such facility rental as well as to pay workers for their attendance
at the Rapid Response orientation meeting).
The orientation meeting shall cover such issues as
unemployment benefits; job placement services; a discussion of the types of
workshop opportunities for assistance in seeking new employment that may be
available such as labor market information, resume preparation, interviewing
skills, job search techniques, and networking; individual skills and abilities
assessments; career counseling and training opportunities. In most cases, the Rapid Response staff will
conduct a brief survey of the workers to determine more precisely their
characteristics and their need for employment and training services. Appropriate accommodations must be made for
individuals with limited English proficiency including translation or other
assistance for workers in completing worker surveys.
3.
Service Planning
An analysis of the worker survey will form the basis for
developing the most appropriate service design for the affected workers. In general, the survey identifies such areas
as educational level, previous training and employment skills, and supportive
services such as stress management, financial counseling, as well as
transportation and child care to enable participation in training.
4.
Early Intervention Services
Prior to their termination date, workers will be offered
the opportunity to participate in early intervention services (before or after
their shift) designed to either prepare them for seeking new employment, or to
assist them in assessing their skills and identifying appropriate training
opportunities.
5.
Services
After Layoff
Depending on the state and local dislocated worker service
design, workers who have not found employment should be able to continue to
access appropriate employment
and training services after their termination. These services may be provided at the local
One-Stop Career Center or through a Worker Transition Center established at a
convenient site at the airport until the dislocated workers have found
employment or enrolled in training opportunities.
6.
Rich Array of Services
It is expected that these dislocated workers will be
provided access to appropriate levels of service in a very expeditious and
timely manner in accordance with the President’s commitment to accomplish
the transition in a way that is considerate of the economic impact on the
workers who are not rehired.
The assessment of each individual and the customization of
services according to each individual’s unique needs continue to be a guiding
WIA principle. A blanket policy that
establishes a required period of job search for individuals with relatively
limited skills prior to accessing training opportunities.