By Rachel Pritchett
A local employment-office owner says meetings that out-of-work
people must attend to continue receiving unemployment compensation
are actually keeping them off the job.
Wayne Sargent, owner of Express Employment Professionals of
Bremerton and Poulsbo, said he lined up work for the day for three
of his clients on Tuesday. But not one went out on the jobs because
they had were under the impression they had to go to WorkSource of
Kitsap County to attend mandatory meetings to retain their
unemployment benefits.
“They wanted to go to the job, but were unable because
‘Unemployment’ would not change the time,” Sargent said, referring
to WorkSource, the public-employment office on Sylvan Way in East
Bremerton.
Rick Van Cise, spokesman the Washington Department of Employment
Security, said appointments at its WorkSource offices can be
rescheduled on the phone in an instant.
“We want people to go to work,” he said.
One of Sargent’s clients who traded a day of work for an
appointment at WorkSource was David Wright of Bremerton.
Wright said he found out Monday that Express Employment had work
for him Tuesday. But he’d received a letter last week from
WorkSource telling him show up at 11 a.m. Tuesday for a review of
his work log and to receive other help.
“I wasn’t clear,” Wright said when asked if he thought he could
reschedule his appointment. But the WorkSource letter was clear his
benefits could be jeopardized if he didn’t show, he said.
Sargent said the tug-and-pull his workers face between going to
jobs or going to appointments to ensure continued benefits is just
one more example of an unemployment-compensation system that
discourages work.
When he posts a job on Craigslist, his inbox soon is filled with
inquiries from people who have no interest in the job, but instead
are trying to meet the unemployment-compensation requirement they
make three inquiries a week.
Besides his contention that WorkSource classes get in the way of
work, Sargent also said the duration that people can receive
unemployment compensation — up to 99 weeks in some cases — actually
helps to make them unemployable. After that time, their skills are
outdated and they’ve gotten physically out of shape by sitting on
the couch and watching TV.
“If you’re paying somebody to do nothing, they’ll do nothing,” he
said.
Van Cise said WorkSource has a range of classes, workshops,
counseling and online leads to keep the focus.
“We can’t make a broad statement about long term unemployed
people,” Van Cise said.
Sargent, 24 years in the business, suggests retooling the
employment-compensation system to require beneficiaries to do some
type of work. It could be picking up trash on the highway, working
in soup kitchens, painting over graffiti or keeping up parks.
“I realize I’m a crotchety old man, but there are some stupid
abuses in the system,” he said.
“Besides his contention that WorkSource classes get in the way of work, Sargent also said the duration that people can receive unemployment compensation — up to 99 weeks in some cases — actually helps to make them unemployable. After that time, their skills are outdated and they’ve gotten physically out of shape by sitting on the couch and watching TV.
“If you’re paying somebody to do nothing, they’ll do nothing,” he said.
Van Cise said WorkSource has a range of classes, workshops, counseling and online leads to keep the focus.
“We can’t make a broad statement about long term unemployed people,” Van Cise said.
Sargent, 24 years in the business, suggests retooling the employment-compensation system to require beneficiaries to do some type of work. It could be picking up trash on the highway, working in soup kitchens, painting over graffiti or keeping up parks.
“I realize I’m a crotchety old man, but there are some stupid abuses in the system,” he said.”
We need to hire Van Cise to run the Unemployment Compensation.
Knowing which applicants showed up to waste my time with an interview for a job they didn’t want but was required by the unemployment agency was fairly easy.
I had one ‘job applicant’ I would have hired but she came right out and told me she didn’t want the job, any job right then and handed me a card/paper to sign that she had been there to apply for the job.
The sad thing though was her surprise that I wouldn’t sign it. She claimed I was the only employer who refused to sign.
I hope that wasn’t true.
Sharon O’Hara
I find this difficult to believe. My experience was very different. The staff there were professional and polite. I was able to reschedule meetings several times for job interviews. The people there seemed to really care and worked hard to help me get back to work. The statement that a person handed you a card/paper to sign does not sound right. I never had to have an employer sign anything for my unemployment. There may be people who abuse the system but I am not one of those. I lost my job due to no fault of my own and was desperate to get back to work and am now working. Most of the other people I met were really looking for work. This whole thing seems like a smear campaign against unemployed people and the unemployment office that is there to help them get back on their feet. Funny that Wayne Sargent runs an employment agency yet seems to really dislike unemployed people. Bold move to insult your client base while trying to attack another company.
Incidentally, after the ‘job seeker’ left I called to complain to the unemployment agency about the person they sent out – a person collecting unemployment looking for a job she didn’t want.
Its possible the agency still has my complaint on file.
I have no complaints against the agency or staff…the phony job seeker working the system was playing them too.