Home / Business / State Labor Department Announces New York Job-Saving Program Saved Nearly 3,300 Jobs in 2012
Labor Commissioner Urges Employers to Contact Department of Labor for Help in Avoiding Layoffs and Retaining Workers to Keep NY?s Economy Growing
(Albany, NY) State Labor Commissioner Peter M. Rivera announced today that 3,280 jobs were saved in 2012 by employers using the?State Labor Department?s Shared Work program. Commissioner Rivera urges any employer in New York who is considering layoffs to immediately contact the State Labor Department to get help in retaining their workers.
?As New York?s job growth continues, we also need to do everything possible to help businesses retain their workers and avoid layoffs,? said Governor Cuomo. ?Our successful Shared Work program has worked for 3,280 New Yorkers and their families, and I urge any employer who is struggling to contact the Labor Department immediately.?
Shared Work gives employers an alternative to layoffs. Rather than lay off a percentage of workers to cut costs, an employer can reduce the hours of workers while they collect partial unemployment insurance benefits to make up for the lost wages. The program allows workers to keep their health insurance, retirement, vacation pay, and other fringe benefits. The employer, in return, gets to keep the skilled and trained workers.
?The success of our Shared Work program speaks for itself,? said Labor Commissioner Peter M. Rivera. ?As New York continues to rise, it is because of programs like Shared Work that protect businesses, workers ? and the families they support. I?m proud of the work the Department of Labor has done with this program to retain jobs and keep companies running.?
Employers from across the state have benefited from the Shared Work job-saving program.
In the Western New York region, 120 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 2,160 workers participated, and an estimated 560 jobs were saved.
Norm Bitterman, Plant Manager at Hard Manufacturing in Buffalo, said: ?The Shared Work Program is an excellent program! It has provided us protection against total layoff and given us the ability to retain our workers. We are a UAW shop, and, due to the nature of our business, we need this flexibility. It is working very well for us and we are very pleased with the program.?
In the Finger Lakes region, 120 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 2,030 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 530 jobs were saved.
Dale Warner, Director of Human Resources at The Riverside Group in Rochester, said: ?While Shared Work was not entered into lightly, it allowed us to keep our employees working during a severely slow production period in lieu of a layoff. By retaining those employees, our skill set was in place when production increased, allowing us to keep pace with the workload.?
In the Central New York region, 65 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 990 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 260 jobs were saved.
Brittany Donah, Business Manager at Gallery of Machines LLC in Marathon, NY, said: ?We have used the Shared Work Program for some time now and have found it to be extremely beneficial to our company. The program helped us reduce our payroll in the tough economic times without losing our key, trained employees. If we were to lose our employees due to a complete layoff, it would take years to find and train machine tool mechanics to their current level and knowledge. We are a small company and do not have the cash flow of the larger companies. Without the Shared Work Program, it is possible that we could have gone out of business.?
In the Mohawk Valley region, 35 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 950 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 245 jobs were saved.
Genevieve Raymond of Human Resources at Kason & Keller in Fonda, NY said: ?Shared Work is definitely a worthy program. It?s been a great tool to help us avoid layoffs and has helped our employees prevent loss of skills due to lack of work.?
In the North Country region, 25 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 295 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 75 jobs were saved.
Kathy Seery, Administration Manager at Sundance Pool & Patio Inc. in Watertown, NY said: ?Since our business is a seasonal one, we would have to lay off a large portion of our staff had it not been for Shared Work. The program allows us to keep our core staff on through the winter months and has kept employee turnover to a minimum, saving us considerable time and money. And our employees feel more comfortable knowing they have a year-round job and are not pressured to find another seasonal. It has been a win-win situation for us.?
In the Hudson Valley region, 85 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 630 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 165 jobs were saved.
Donna Leland at Steingart Associates Inc. in South Fallsburg, NY said: ?We have used the Shared Work Program for a couple of years because we did not want to lose our current employees to layoff, and it worked very well for us. Our workers need specialized skills and, had there been a layoff, we would not have been able to just hire people off the street. The Shared Work Program absolutely helped our business get through a tough time.?
In the New York City region, 100 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 925 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 240 jobs were saved.
Arlene Kagan at COR-RBD LLC in Flushing, NY said: ?The Department of Labor?s Shared Work Program made it possible for us to keep the business going during a slow period and keep talented employees on board. We have been so pleased with the program that we plan to use it again during next year?s slow season.?
In the?Long Island region, 145 Shared Work plans were approved in 2012. A total of 1,160 workers participated, and the State Labor Department estimates that 300 jobs were saved.
Joyce Campbell, Office Manager at Dolliver Land Surveying PC, said: ?The Shared Work program has been invaluable to us. It has saved us from having to lay off workers and then search for employees, which can be an expensive and difficult task, especially on eastern Long Island, where it is sometimes hard to find trained workers.?
To apply for the Shared Work program, employers can call the State Labor Department at (518) 457-5807.
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Posted by Christopher Boyle ? Filed Under Business?
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