Over $500,000 approved to assist laid-off timber workers
The Daily Inter Lake
More than $500,000 in emergency funding has been approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to assist laid-off timber industry workers in Western Montana.
The grant will provide a variety of services for more than 75 workers in Flathead, Lake, and Lincoln Counties, including career planning, employment development, individual counseling, occupational skills training, on-the-job training, entrepreneurial training, job-readiness training and adult education Supportive services may include child care, transportation assistance and job-related certifications, uniforms and equipment.
The first $187,653 of the $500,410 announced today will be sent to the Montana Department of Labor.
"This is about helping families and communities as much as it is about assisting the workers themselves," said Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Montana's timber industry has been hard-hit in recent months, and we need to apply every resource available to help restore the careers of those who have been put out of work."
The funding is aimed at helping workers laid off by several companies in recent months, including Eureka businesses Owens and Hurst Lumber Co., Don Pluid Logging, Darwin Pluid Logging and Janes Jett Corporation. In Kalispell, funding is available for employees recently laid off by Owens and Bray, Inc., and Stillwater Forest Products.
"It's been a trying few months for too many folks in Lincoln, Lake and Flathead Counties, but it looks like things are about to get a bit better," said Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
"This money will go to help Montanans transition from one line of work to another," Burns said. "These folks have been put into a difficult place and this award is a much welcome example of a good program going to good people. It's a good first step, and I'll continue doing everything I can to make sure small mills like Owens and Hurst don't ever face this kind of struggle again."
According to Rehberg's office, The emergency grant is money to be received on top of Workforce Investment Act money, which allocated $1.6 million for displaced workers in Montana last year, and has earmarked $1.9 million for that purpose this year.