Fasco workers find education, new careers after jobs head south

The last remaining employees of Fasco Industries in Ozark will be getting pink slips in their stockings come Christmas.

Dec. 27 will be the last day of production of Fasco's fractional horse-power motor operation, said Tammy Miller, public information specialist for the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Local Fasco manager John Hawkins declined to comment on operations or employee layoffs. Paul Walker, director of communications for Invensys' components and systems division in Milwaukee, could not be reached for comment. Invensys is the parent company of Fasco.

The 306,000-square-foot Fasco Industries building is listed for $4.95 million, said Bob Murray, commercial Realtor with RB Murray Co. The building was constructed in two phases, the first in 1965 and the second in 1981, he said.

State assistance

The Missouri DED and the Missouri Career Center have held six meetings with laid-off Fasco workers since April 1, with about 250 workers attending. There were 427 workers employed by Fasco as of June.

Alice Simpson, supervisor of the dislocated worker program at the Missouri Career Center, said sessions give the growing ranks of Fasco's unemployed details on available state benefits and career assessment options.

The center has enrolled about 60 Fasco employees in programs ranging from job-seeking clinics and GED studies to helping with math or computer skills, she added.

People who've lost jobs get angry, depressed and upset, Simpson said. By simplifying the rules and regulations inherent in the state's benefit criteria, she educates them on their options. Since work histories and individual circumstances differ, there are no cookie-cutter solutions.

Trade Act program

One constant, however, for Fasco employees is that they're losing their jobs to foreign trade. Since Fasco's shutdown is related to North American competition, specifically Mexico, its workers are eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance under the Trade Act of 1974.

Ron Hubbell, a supervisor for the Division of Workforce Development, said a maximum of $13,000 can be secured for educational fees and supplies.

In certain situations, it is possible TAA could provide up to two 26-week extensions of income benefits beyond the recipient's initial unemployment pay based on need and circumstance, said Shirley Click, regional manager for the DWD.

A new life

Two Fasco workers are using TAA benefits at Vatterott College. Tina Holt, 25, is studying to be a medical assistant, while Dana Sciascia, 38, is in the dental assistant program. Both women are receiving the $13,000 maximum amount to attend.

Uncertain as to when her job would end, Holt said Fasco "dropped the bomb on us" in June that it would be coming soon. She will finish her school program July 17, 2003, and afterwards seek work in the area. Her husband, Bryan, another Fasco statistic, is using the TAA program at Bryan Career College. He is studying to become a networking specialist.

Sciascia gets $242 a week in unemployment benefits while attending Vatterott. She will graduate April 10, 2003, and, like Holt, look for local work. She was informed the dental assistant program had a 98 percent placement rate.

"Working for Fasco had one blessing; I get an education out of it," Sciascia said.

Rebecca Mantey, Vatterott's health occupations director, said if school costs exceed $13,000, a presidential scholarship from Vatterott covers the remainder. She had high praise for students from Fasco.

"They're very driven, very focused and the placement is usually very high because of their good work record."

Shari Baker, manager of Penmac's Ozark office, said there have been 15 to 20 former Fasco employees seeking employment there. Some have been placed, but several "have opted for the schooling and the unemployment" option, she said.