Workforce Development Agency State of Michigan Overview of Rapid Response

1
Workforce Development Agency State of
MichiganOverview of Rapid Response

• Maggie Sayles, Acting Manager
• saylesm1_at_michigan.gov
• 517-335-0686

2
Rapid Response Unit Mission Assisting Workers
and Companies

• Coordinate an effective state response to
  layoffs plant closures by leading partnerships
  of state agencies, MWAs, employers, labor local
  leaders groups to
• 1) Help workers
• access information services
• 2) Prevent layoffs
• where possible

3
Rapid Response Team Facts

• Staff assigned to a geographic region
• Currently housed in Meeting
• Employer Needs Division
• Responds to all mass layoffs and
• plant closures that dislocate 50
• workers at firms with 100 employees

4
Federal Legislation

• 3 federal laws establish the following

• Rapid Response (RR) unit must be in every state.
• Employers of gt100 people must provide notice to
  employees, the RR unit and government officials
  60 days in advance of business closings and mass
  layoffs.

1. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification
(WARN) Act 2. Workforce Investment Act 3. Trade
Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002
5
Rapid Response Team Meetings Two-Fold Purpose

• I. Provide the employer and worker
  representatives with information about available
  dislocated worker services and how to access
  them, including
• Employment Services
• Re-training assistance
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (if applicable)
• Unemployment Insurance (UI)
• Layoff aversion services
• (if applicable)
• Career Exploration

6
Rapid Response Team Meetings Two-Fold Purpose
Contd

1. Gather information from the employer regarding
   the demographics of the affected population.

• Helps to determine plan of action
  for service delivery to workers to
  company
• Assists the local Michigan Works! Agency (MWA)
  to determine the needs of the
• job seekers
• Info for States database used to track
  record dislocation events

7
Three Common Myths about Rapid Response and Early
Intervention

• Myth 1
• Notifying workers early about layoff or closure
  will result in negative conflict and destruction
  of property.

8
Three Common Myths about Rapid Response and Early
Intervention

Myth 2 Notifying workers early of
layoff or closure will result in reduced
productivity.
9
Three common myths about Rapid Response and Early
Intervention

• Myth 3
• There is no point in notifying the state and
  local economic developers that my business is
  struggling because theres nothing they can do to
  help!

10
What do employers risk by not complying with the
WARN Act?

• Litigation
• Bad reputation
• Preventing workers
• the maximum ability to get re-employed quickly
• Increasing the length of time
• workers will collect UI,
• increasing UI related tax costs
• to the company.

11
Rapid Response Meeting Participants

• Rapid Response Workforce Consultant
• Local MWA
• Unemployment Insurance Agency Rep.
• Company Rep.
• Union Rep.
• (if applicable)
• HRDI/Peer to Peer
• Other community
• partners

12
Service Delivery Post RR Meeting

• Worker Orientation Meetings
• Joint Adjustment Committees
• Peer to Peer Program
• Transition Centers (when appropriate)
• Referrals to business services, layoff aversion
  services

13
Whats New

• 3.8M On the Job Training National Emergency
  Grant
• Upcoming deployment of a statewide dislocated
  worker survey
• Michigan is the only state to have an American
  Recovery and Reinvestment Regional Economic
  Impact National Emergency Grant 38M
• Developing formal Early Detection Network