Abt Associates/Workforce Learning Strategies 1 

CAMBRIDGE WORKING DRAFT , MA 02138   CAMBRIDGE, MA 02140

PREPARED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BY:

ABT ASSOCIATES INC.    WORKFORCE LEARNING STRATEGIES

55 WHEELER STREET    5 TENNEY STREET

NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANT PROMISING PRACTICES SERIES:

PARTNERING WITH ORGANIZED LABOR TO SUPPORT REEMPLOYMENT

PREPARED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BY:

ABT ASSOCIATES INC.    WORKFORCE LEARNING STRATEGIES

55 WHEELER STREET    5 TENNEY STREET

CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138   CAMBRIDGE, MA 02140

1

ABOUT THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANT PROMISING PRACTICES SERIES 

States and local areas that administer National Emergency Grants (NEGs) have developed a

growing body of expertise in the effective management of these grants.  The National

Emergency Grant Promising Practices Series is a compilation of ten documents whose purpose

is to highlight and share some exemplary approaches that were instrumental in preparing

for, planning, and implementing a NEG.  The intent of disseminating these effective

methodologies on a broad, national level is to facilitate the continuous improvement of NEG

project operations and to promote peer‐to‐peer information‐sharing among practitioners.  

The information presented in the NEG Promising Practices Series was gleaned from a study,

which focused on the in‐depth review of fifteen NEG projects that varied in type, size, and

scope.  Collectively, these projects represent an investment of $282,377,589 made by the

Department of Labor (DOL) that helped states assist dislocated workers obtain

reemployment in the aftermath of a large layoff or disaster‐related event.  The insights

shared by these grantees were synthesized for dissemination, resulting in a set of promising

practices that build upon four broad themes:

Infrastructure and Readiness.  How grantees have organized state and local

delivery systems to ensure effective and efficient use of NEG resources;

Planning and Start‐Up.  How grantees have mobilized key resources and

stakeholders to facilitate effective grant planning and implementation;

Program Design and Implementation.  What specific interventions and services have

been implemented to support the unique reemployment needs of dislocated

workers; and

Institutional Results. How NEG investments have directly or indirectly resulted

in an enhanced capacity to respond to unexpected economic events.  

Listed below are the ten documents, which comprise the National Emergency Grant Promising

Practices Series.  Each review addresses a specific area of NEG management and has been

written to emphasize the specific planning, design, and operational decisions that

contributed to successful retraining and reemployment strategies.   

Working Across Boundaries in Planning a Regional NEG Response

Expanding NEG Training Capacity Through Partnerships with Community Colleges

Aligning NEG Strategies with High Growth Sectors and Occupations

Peer Support Systems that Strengthen Outreach and Participation

Preparing for the Unexpected in Disaster Grants

Establishing and Managing a Temporary Jobs Program

Implementing Transition Teams to Lead the Dislocation Response

Partnering with Organized Labor to Support Reemployment

Coordinating Resources to Meet the Reemployment Challenge

Using Data Strategically to Align Job Seekers and Occupational Demand

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PREVIEW 

When large layoff events occur in companies with labor representation, unions are

committed to providing support, resources, and advocacy to facilitate reemployment.  This

dedication to a dislocated workforce makes organized labor a valuable partner in NEG

design and implementation.  State‐level agreements with labor federations have provided

important support for pre‐NEG activities such as early warning systems and Rapid

Response delivery.  Once a NEG is implemented, organized labor’s relationships with its

members along with its knowledge of resources and effective reemployment practices have

strengthened NEG service capacity, increased participation rates, and enhanced

reemployment results.  The NEG grantees highlighted in this promising practices review

identified numerous benefits in their collaborations with labor, all of which contributed

positively across the lifespan of a NEG project:  

Infrastructure and Readiness.  Positive relationships that have been established

between NEG grantees and labor organizations prior to a major layoff event

enhance communications and coordination during the initial response period.  

Knowing in advance that the labor organizations will be active participants in

the process helps to plan for staff capacity so that the needs of the affected

workers are met.

Planning and Start‐up.  Labor organizations regularly communicate with their

memberships; therefore, they often have the inherent trust of a workforce

impacted by layoff.  This established trust and confidence makes it possible for

the labor organization to be extremely effective at recruiting participants for

NEG services.     

Program Design and Implementation.  The local unions and regional labor councils

typically have extensive knowledge of the workers and the workplace such as

information on workforce demographics, occupational experience, skill levels,

and past pay and benefits.  In addition, labor representatives understand the

collective bargaining agreements that may shape severance pay, continuing

health insurance benefits, or bumping rights within a company and its affiliates.  

This collective knowledge provides helpful insight in the design of NEG

services.  The resulting program construction may be better tailored to the needs

of workers, increasing the likelihood that participants will complete training and

move on to good jobs.

Learning from NEG Grantees: This promising practices review draws insights from five

exemplary grantees:

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Maine. Great Northern Paper’s mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket were

shuttered in 2003, laying off 1,100 workers in a rural community.  The Maine

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL‐CIO)

Dislocated Worker Program partnered with the Maine Department of Labor’s

Bureau of Employment Services to coordinate initial Rapid Response efforts and

managed the hiring and training of peer support workers identified through the

twelve local unions whose members were affected.  The support of organized labor

was instrumental in recruiting a large percentage of the workforce to participate in

NEG services.  NEG Award Amount: $9,298,121.

Massachusetts.  Plant closings and layoffs at five manufacturing companies in

Southern Worcester County affected nearly 800 workers during an eight‐month

period in 2006.  Two of the companies were unionized; workers at Dresser Rand, a

steam turbine manufacturer in Millbury, were represented by the International

Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and workers at medical device manufacturer, Thermo

IEC, in Milford were represented by the International Association of Machine and

Aerospace Workers (IAM).  The Massachusetts AFL‐CIO Rapid Response Team

collaborated with these unions and the Massachusetts Department of Workforce

Development’s Division of Career Services Rapid Response program to provide

information and services to all affected workers.  The Central Massachusetts Central

Labor Council was active in supporting the NEG effort throughout the planning

process.  NEG Award Amount: $927,957.  

Missouri.  The Ford Motor Company in Hazelwood laid off 900 workers in 2004 and

ultimately closed in 2006 affecting an additional 1,360 workers.  The resulting loss of

production triggered the closure of Lear Corporation, a seat‐assembly plant in

Hazelwood that supplied Ford, affecting 500 workers.  The Missouri AFL‐CIO

partnered with the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Division of

Workforce Development to provide outreach and reemployment planning services

to United Auto Worker (UAW) members at both plants.  The Missouri AFL‐CIO

enlisted the support of local labor unions to contact members, explain services

available through the NEG, and serve as liaisons to NEG staff for benefits available

to workers through collective bargaining agreeements.  NEG Award Amount:

$1,938,618.

Oregon. In January 2005, the Amalgamated Sugar Company provided notice that it

would no longer be processing sugar beets for white sugar at its plant in Nyssa,

resulting in the loss of 400 jobs.  Through a partnership with the Oregon Department

of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (DCCWD) and in conjunction

with the Bakers, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM), the

Oregon AFL‐CIO assisted in providing Rapid Response Services to workers, setting

up a workforce transition team, and hiring four peer support workers to provide

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outreach and information services to engage workers in the NEG.  NEG Award

Amount: $540,816.

Wisconsin. In 2004 the closing of four companies in Dane and Jefferson Counties

resulted in the loss of 400 jobs.  A partnership between the Wisconsin AFL‐CIO and

the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Division of Employment

and Training created a coordinated Rapid Response effort for the affected workers.  

The Labor Education and Training Center (LETC), a non‐profit arm of the Wisconsin

AFL‐CIO, was contracted to provide pre‐layoff and case management support to

NEG participants in three of the four companies.  These included: the tool and die

manufacturer Danley IEM in Beaver represented by the International Association of

Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), District 121; Dean Foods Morningstar

Dairy in Madison represented by the International Brotherhood of Teansters Local

695; and the furniture maker Schweiger, a division of KCS International in Jefferson,

a company that had been unionized but was not represented at the time of closing.  

The glass manufacturer Interpane, a non‐union company in Deerfield, was included

in the NEG, but LETC did not provide services to workers at this company.  NEG

Award Amount: $740,604.

ORGANIZED LABOR’S NATIONAL AND REGIONAL STRUCTURES

To best understand NEG grantees’ partnerships with organized labor, it is useful to review

the broad organizational structure that shapes the roles, responsibilities, and resources

offered by union partners.  At the national level, most international unions are now aligned

with one of two larger umbrella organizations: the American Federation of Labor and

Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL‐CIO) or the Change to Win Federation, which

was formed in 2005.  Both advocate for policies and legislation on behalf of workers in the

United States and Canada.  In serving dislocated workers, the grantees featured in this

blueprint are primarily aligned with state federations and union locals affiliated with

members of the AFL‐CIO, a voluntary federation of fifty‐six national and international labor

unions.

At the state level, fifty‐one state labor federations, including Puerto Rico’s, coordinate with

local unions that represent workers at specific employers.  The state federations are led by

officers and boards elected by delegates from the local unions in each state and are

chartered by the national AFL‐CIO.  The AFL‐CIO also charters nearly 543 central labor

councils across the country.  These bodies coordinate labor activities, support, and advocacy

efforts in regional jurisdictions.

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STATE-LEVEL PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZED LABOR 

The coordinating role that state labor federations play with local unions makes them a

natural partner for state WIA agencies providing Rapid Response services.  For the states

highlighted in this document, the WIA state agency and the state’s AFL‐CIO labor

federation developed Rapid Response contracts or memoranda of agreement that directly

supported NEG activities.  The agreements served two purposes:  

  

To set out a shared mission and define the role of organized labor in state‐level

workforce activities such as Rapid Response and to provide financial support for

these activities; and

To provide the leadership, direction, and framework for collaboration at the local

level, including activities directly affecting workers such as outreach, information

dissemination, and case management.  

While the state agreements shared these general features, each also operated somewhat

differently:

Maine—Lessons from Great Northern Paper:  Maine State law authorized the Maine

Department of Labor (MDOL) to initiate

the hiring of peer support workers from

the affected workforce for all layoffs

involving more than 100 workers.  The

MDOL contracted the delivery of this

service to the Maine AFL‐CIO, which

established the Peer Support Worker

Program in 1999 for this purpose.

Activities Carried Out under StateLevel Partnerships with Organized 

labor 

 Ongoing development of an 

early warning system for plant 

closures and layoffs 

 Coordination and delivery of 

statewide Rapid Response 

services 

 Information resource for labor 

representatives serving on 

Workforce Development Boards 

 Support for development of 

worker transition teams and 

training for team members 

 Advocacy for issues affecting 

workers

Massachusetts—Lessons from Central

Massachusetts Trade:  In Massachusetts, a

Rapid Response coordinator oversees the

daily activities of five specialists who are

based in five regions of the State but are

able to work anywhere when needed.  The

specialists are part of the central labor

council staff in their designated regions

and maintain strong relationships with

local unions.  The specialists also are

responsible for identifying potential

layoffs, including routinely surveying

local unions for early warning indicators.  

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Missouri—Lessons from Ford/Lear:  The staff of the Missouri AFL‐CIO Dislocated Worker

Program includes a director and two coordinators who work with the State Rapid Response

team to present information to workers at informational meetings and to set up workforce

transition teams for laid off workers.  These teams are comprised of members of the affected

workforce who serve as sources of information and peer counselors for their fellow workers

until a NEG project is established.  

Oregon—Lessons from Hewlett‐Packard and Amalgamated Sugar:  In Oregon, an AFL‐

CIO State labor federation union liaison works with the State Rapid Response staff by

providing on‐site technical assistance to help organize workforce transition teams that

include participation by both workers and management.  He/she also works with local

unions to identify peer support staff from the affected workforce.  These activities together

create an effective outreach capacity in response to layoff events statewide.

Wisconsin—Lessons from Interpane/Morningstar:  In Wisconsin, the AFL‐CIO State labor

federation provides flexible staff capacity under the auspices of the Labor Education and

Training Center (LETC), an entrepreneurial non‐profit organization that provides a wide

array of services to workers.  Under a contract with the Department of Workforce

Development’s Division of Employment and Training, the LETC delivers Rapid Response

and pre‐layoff services in response to union workers receiving termination notices.  The

LETC also submits proposals to staff dislocated worker projects in response to competitive

bidding processes conducted by Workforce Boards and One‐Stop Career Centers.

While state‐level partnerships with organized labor were established to support a broad

spectrum of dislocated worker support activities, many had a direct impact on the

development, start‐up, and management of NEG projects.  For instance, the agreements

included resources and support for staffing.  This allowed for an enhanced capacity to

support essential outreach, information dissemination, and peer‐counseling services to NEG

participants when and where needed.  

LABOR’S SUPPORT IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING LOCAL REEMPLOYMENT 

SERVICES 

While state‐level agreements were beneficial in supporting early Rapid Response activities,

NEG grantees also developed effective partnerships with unions at the local level.  These

served to ensure that labor’s resources and understanding of the affected workforce were

integrated into overall NEG planning and implementation.  Grantees collaborated with

central labor councils as well as with individual unions during the planning process to

better address a number of objectives including:  

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Increasing the efficiency of collecting workforce data immediately following the

layoff announcement to assist in the development of NEG applications and

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petitions;  

Designing service strategies tailored to workers’ needs based on the union’s

familiarity with the affected workforce;  

Identifying company and community resources to provide workers with space to

meet with Rapid Response and NEG staff; and

Supporting the overall preparation and submission of an NEG application.

Massachusetts—Lessons from Central Massachusetts Trade:  Joint planning was generally

conducted on an informal basis as large layoff events occurred but was shaped in part by

the overarching agreements created at the State level.  For instance, the contract between the

State labor federation and the

Department of Workforce Development

created regional capacity to support

Rapid Response activities through the

Central Labor Councils (CLCs).  Under

this arrangement, the Central

Massachusetts CLC and local unions

were active partners in planning for the

Central Massachusetts Dual Enrollment

NEG.  A total of 188 workers at Dresser

Rand and Thermo IEC were represented

by the International Brotherhood of

Boilermakers and the International

Association of Machine and Aerospace

Workers, respectively.  The CLC, in

partnership with the Central

Massachusetts Rapid Response

Coordinator and One‐Stop Career Center

staff worked with these unions to

conduct worker outreach, prepare TAA

petitions, develop the NEG application,

and provide information about resources

and services to affected workers at these

companies.   

Union Activities that Support 

Laid Off Workers 

 Planning a union response to a 

layoff situation and, when 

appropriate, developing 

strategies to avert layoffs if 

possible or to reduce the 

potential for future layoffs; 

 Identifying/contacting laborsponsored programs designed 

specifically to meet the needs of 

dislocated workers; 

 Organizing and facilitating onsite worker information 

meetings, in coordination with 

the state Rapid Response 

program, where members can get 

facts and advice about 

assistance that is available; and

 Brokering special reemployment 

and supportive services tailored 

to meet their members’ needs. 

- Coping with Layoffs and Plant 

Closures, AFL-CIO Working for America 

The officials of both unions were actively Institute

involved in the NEG response from the

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beginning.  They met with staff of the One‐Stop Career Center, toured the premises to see

what services and resources were available to their members, and then encouraged all

members to take advantage of these services and resources.  These collaborations resulted in

strong participation by Dresser Rand and Thermo IEC workers.

Maine—Lessons from Great Northern Paper:  Local unions also took an active role in

planning a response to the closing of the Great Northern Paper mills.  The Maine AFL‐CIO

Dislocated Worker Program staff coordinated with twelve unions representing workers at

the company to obtain information about the affected workforce and to set up informational

meetings as quickly as possible following the closure.  Organized labor was also represented

on a community transition team that was established to identify sources of support for

workers who lost their jobs.  

ORGANIZED LABOR’S ROLE IN INCREASING RESPONSE CAPACITY 

Large layoffs often mean significant numbers of dislocated workers needing urgent and

frequently intensive reemployment services.  Therefore, many NEG grantees are faced with

the challenge of quickly strengthening their

response capacity.  States have successfully

partnered with organized labor to create

flexible arrangements that mobilize

assistance for workers when and where it is

needed.  The staff associated with organized

labor’s Rapid Response support can be

quickly sent into local areas experiencing

large dislocations; as that need is met, they

can be redeployed to other layoff locations.  

The discussion that follows describes the

practices that state labor federations have

developed around organizing and training

staff to provide responsive reemployment

support to the workforce system and NEG

grantees.

Massachusetts—Deploying Rapid

Response Specialists:  The AFL‐CIO Rapid

Response team includes a coordinator who

has overall responsibility for managing the

day‐to‐day activities of five specialists.  Each specialist is based at a central labor council in

one of the State Rapid Response regions.  The specialist in each region partners with the

State Rapid Response Regional Coordinator when the layoff event occurs to plan a joint

response and coordinate the delivery of Rapid Response services to affected workers.  The

Benefits of Collaboration 

between State Labor Federations 

and Rapid Response Teams 

 State labor federations were 

able to use their relationships 

with central labor councils 

and local unions to quickly 

access information and set 

up informational meetings; 

 The unions were helpful to 

Rapid Response staff in 

building trust and rapport 

with workers; and 

 The unions’ knowledge of the 

resources and benefits 

established through collective 

bargaining agreements was 

essential to effective 

reemployment planning. 

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coordinator provides support and training to the specialists and functions as part of the

State‐level team that includes the regional Rapid Response coordinators and manager.  

Missouri—Training Peer Counselors:  An AFL‐CIO manager oversees the activities of two

coordinators who assist State staff with Rapid Response and who take the lead in setting up

and training transition teams in response to layoff events.  The AFL‐CIO staff organize a

two‐day training program for team members covering the basics of peer counseling, having

the service providers provide information on the array of services to which workers will

have access, and introducing team members to

service provider staff.  In addition to the staff of

the Dislocated Worker Program, the State usually

allots funding for a labor liaison position from

each NEG grant for large layoffs.  The main

functions of this position are to support outreach

efforts and to advise workers of the services

available through the project.  In the Ford/Lear

project, the labor liaison was hired by the United

Auto Workers (UAW) training arm and worked

closely with the union presidents for local unions

at both plants in outreaching to workers.

“The transition team 

concept is based on the 

assumption that workers 

anticipating a layoff are 

more likely to ask 

knowledgeable peers 

about the programs and 

services available to 

them.” 

- Missouri AFL-CIO

Wisconsin—Engaging Case Managers from the Labor Education Training Center:  

Staffing to respond to large layoffs at the Labor Education and Training Center (LETC)

includes an executive director, five regional coordinators, and case managers.  The number

of case managers on staff expands and contracts based on the size, number, and duration of

dislocation events in the State and the number of contracts the LETC manages at any one

time.  Currently the LETC employs about

sixty‐five staff.  The primary

responsibilities of the coordinator

position are to work with local labor

unions and community resource

providers to set up informational

meetings about services available

through a NEG and to dislocated

workers, obtain information about the

affected workforce, identify sources of

assistance for workers, hire and oversee

case managers, train and supervise peer

counselors, and manage the local project

contracts.  In some regions, the coordinators are directly involved in delivering Rapid

Response services while in other areas these services are delivered by case managers or local

union representatives.  Case managers work directly with laid off workers, providing

Services Provided by the 

Wisconsin LETC Rapid Response 

Services 

 Pre-layoff services 

 Career counseling/skills 

assessment 

 Pre-employment planning 

 Referral to supportive services 

 Career transition support 

through peer counseling

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assessment, counseling, and reemployment support.  Many case managers were themselves

dislocated workers and, therefore, are much attuned to the needs of this population.  Case

managers are stationed wherever they can be most effective in providing services, either at a

One‐Stop Career Center, on site at the affected company, or at satellite centers set up for a

particular closing.  Often case managers begin providing services on site at the company

and then move to a more permanent location for the balance of the project.

Maine & Oregon—Contracting with the AFL‐CIO:  The AFL‐CIO State labor federations in

Maine and Oregon demonstrate that staffing on a smaller scale can also produce highly

effective support for Rapid Response, peer support, and transition team activities.  In Maine,

an AFL‐CIO coordinator is responsible for managing the State’s Peer Support Worker

Program.  The coordinator functions as a member of the State’s Rapid Response team and

participates in statewide Rapid Response service delivery.  Similarly, in Oregon, the AFL‐

CIO’s contract with Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development

funds a single union liaison position that supports Rapid Response activities, sets up

transition teams, and provides training and support for peer support workers hired for

individual NEG projects.

LABOR’S NEG ROLE IN PROVIDING OUTREACH, INFORMATION, AND 

REEMPLOYMENT SUPPORT TO WORKERS 

Information from NEG grantees has indicated that peer support helps displaced workers

connect with and benefit from the programs that are available to ease their transition after

layoff.  Most of the staff hired through state‐level partnerships with AFL‐CIO state labor

federations had been laid off workers themselves.  Their goals were to engage workers,

inform them about a wide array of services and resources—including WIA and TAA‐

funded services, labor‐sponsored programs and benefits, and community resources—and to

support their efforts to gain new employment.  Among the NEG grantees highlighted in this

blueprint, front‐line peer staff provided outreach, information, and advice to workers

through two channels:

Workforce Transition Teams; and

Peer Support Worker Programs.

Transition Teams:  Workforce transition teams are groups of workers from companies

experiencing layoff whose purpose is to serve as an information hub for fellow employees.  

They also provide a critical outreach function for NEG projects during the start‐up phase

when getting affected workers in the door is paramount.  Typically the teams are stationed

at or near the company site or at union halls where workers can conveniently meet with

team members face‐to‐face or contact them by phone.  Workforce transition teams usually

remain in place until all the layoffs have occurred and workers have had sufficient time to

access services.

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Missouri.  In Missouri transition teams are formed in more than half of the layoff

events addressed by Rapid Response.  The Missouri AFL‐CIO Dislocated Worker

Program staff organizes teams using member selection criteria and training

guidelines developed for this purpose.  In response to the closing of the Ford Motor

Company plant and supplier company Lear Corporation, the Missouri AFL‐CIO

organized a transition team to assist the 2,700 affected workers.  The team consisted

of twenty‐eight members, including the Lear Company’s Human Resources

manager, Ford and Lear union presidents, and twenty‐five workers from the plants.  

Team members received two days of training at the UAW Region 5 offices in St.

Louis, facilitated by the Missouri AFL‐CIO and the State Rapid Response

coordinator.  During the training, team members learned about the programs and

services that could assist dislocated workers and met representatives of these

programs face‐to‐face.

The Ford/Lear transition team met with workers in dedicated space located in each

plant.  In addition to individual meetings with workers, the team members created a

newsletter to keep workers apprised of service and resource offerings and to help

dispel rumors that might spread misinformation.  The workforce transition teams

were particularly important in the case of the Ford/Lear closings since benefits such

as Supplemental Unemployment Benefits were available through UAW collective

bargaining agreements that were essential for workers to consider as part of their

reemployment planning process.  

Oregon.  The AFL‐CIO helped State staff to establish a workforce transition team for

400 workers laid off from Amalgamated Sugar Company in eastern Oregon.  

Reaching out to workers was particularly challenging since the company was

structured as a farmer’s cooperative.  A majority of the employees worked part‐time

at the plant during the three to four months per year when sugar beets were

harvested; some worked on an early call‐back basis for eight or nine months of the

year while others worked year‐round.  Workers also lived across a sizeable

geographic area in Oregon and Idaho.  The twelve members of the workforce

transition team were each assigned approximately twenty workers and given the

responsibility of maintaining regular contact with their “caseloads.”  The team

members ensured that workers were aware of upcoming events and had access to

available support resources; in some cases, they personally transported workers to

meetings and appointments.  The transition teams were instrumental in increasing

participation in a project that started gradually and gained momentum largely

through word‐of‐mouth referrals.

Peer support workers:  Like members of workforce transition teams, peer support workers

are individuals who are selected from the affected workforce because they have the

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experience, leadership qualities, and desire to help their fellow workers.  Unlike transition

team members, however, peer support workers are generally hired to work as an integral

part of the NEG staff and to remain with the project until the majority of workers have

developed reemployment plans.  Their primary functions include outreach and meeting

individually with workers to provide information and advice on the services and resources

that might best support their reemployment.  Under their partnerships with State Dislocated

Worker Units, the AFL‐CIO State labor federations in Maine, Oregon, and Wisconsin took a

lead role in the selection, training, and ongoing coordination of peer support workers for

NEG projects in these States.  

Maine.  When the Great Northern Paper Mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket

were shut down putting 1,100 employees out of work, there was little lead time to

hire new workforce system and Rapid Response staff.  The coordinator of the Peer

Support Worker Program had hired two peer support workers in response to an

earlier layoff at the company, and these individuals were able to immediately begin

meeting with fellow workers in response

to the current layoff situation.  The

coordinator also contacted the leadership

of the twelve unions representing workers

at the plants and the local One‐Stop

Career Center and relayed the

qualifications needed for peer support

workers.  The unions identified forty‐two

potential candidates from whom the

coordinator hired an additional eight peer support workers.  The coordinator

provided two days of training to the peer support staff that covered the One‐Stop

Career Center system, TAA, WIA Dislocated Worker, and Unemployment Insurance

programs, and community services available in the area.  The coordinator provided

ongoing supervision for peer support workers through on‐site meetings and regular

phone contact.  The peer support staff was successful in engaging the majority of

workers in retraining and reemployment services.  

“Maine has adopted a ‘Rapid 

Response’ approach to peer 

support. Projects are more 

effective when peer support 

workers are put in place as 

soon as workers are notified of 

the layoff or closing.” 

-Maine AFL-CIO representative

Oregon.  As with workforce transition teams, the Oregon Department of Community

Colleges and Workforce Development (DCCWD) established policies and provided

on‐site technical assistance to guide local areas in the selection and oversight of peer

support workers.  At Amalgamated Sugar Company, these individuals

complemented the activities of the transition team described above.  The peer

support worker role was designed to provide short‐term peer advocacy and to

market the project to affected employees.  The union liaison worked with DCCWD

staff and local unions to identify and interview applicants for two positions.  The

successful candidates were hired as employees of the Training and Employment

Consortium, a six‐county non‐profit organization that operated the NEG, on an

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initial three‐month contract that was extended to six months.  Peer support workers

met with laid off workers at the plant in Oregon and also worked across State lines

to spend two days a week at an Idaho Employment Service Office, assisting twenty

workers affected by the layoff who resided outside of the State.  

REEMPLOYMENT THROUGH NEG PROMISING PRACTICES 

Effective partnerships with organized labor can help facilitate the reemployment of

dislocated workers.  They can help increase local capacity to provide reemployment services

through flexible staffing arrangements and staff development.  Additionally, collaboration

with unions can enhance the ability of local areas to obtain information about an affected

workforce and gain access to workers, increase worker participation in NEG services, and

leverage additional resources to support worker reemployment.  Ultimately, this enables the

workforce system to serve more workers and connect them to reemployment.

1

 

PEER CONTACTS

 

Maine 

Stephen Duval, Director 

Policy and Evaluation Division 

Maine Department of Labor 

(207) 623-7988 

stephen.r.duval@maine.gov 

Christine Greenleaf, Peer Support 

Coordinator 

Maine AFL-CIO Dislocated Worker Program 

(207) 622-9675 

christine.l.greenleaf@maine.gov 

Massachusetts 

Ken Messina, Rapid Response Manager 

Department of Workforce Development 

Division of Career Services 

(617) 626-5703 

kmessina@detma.org

Robert Bower, Political Director 

Massachusetts AFL-CIO 

(781) 324-8230 

bbower@massaflcio.org 

Missouri 

Julie Gibson, Director 

Division of Workforce Development 

Missouri Department of Economic 

Development 

(573) 751-3349 

julie.gibson@ded.mo.gov

Debra Minish, Rapid Response Coordinator 

Division of Workforce Development 

Missouri Department of Economic 

Development 

(573) 526-8273 

debra.minish@ded.mo.gov

 

 

 

 

 

Oregon 

Karen Humelbaugh, Education and 

Workforce Systems Director 

Department of Community Colleges and 

Workforce Development 

(503) 378-8648 x226 

karen.humelbaugh@state.or.us

Laura Roberts, Program Manager 

Department of Community Colleges and 

Workforce Development 

(503) 378-8648 

laura.j.roberts@state.or.us

Wisconsin 

Annette Nekola, Dislocated Worker Program 

Coordinator 

Wisconsin Department of Workforce 

Development 

(608) 267-7145 

annette.nekola@dwd.state.wi.us 

Pat Schramm, Executive Director/CEO 

Workforce Development Board of South 

Central Wisconsin 

(608) 249-9001 

pschramm@wdbscw.org