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APAC call center in Waterloo, Iowa, announces closure
(Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (IA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 11--WATERLOO -- While employees rarely, if ever, take layoffs as a positive move, at least some Waterloo workers will be getting some help after finding out their jobs will be eliminated in a few months.
APAC Customer Service announced Monday it would close its Waterloo call center. The closing results in the loss of about 290 jobs, meaning the state government will deploy a Rapid Response team to assist workers in transitioning to another job.
According to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, companies must give 60 days' notice before plant closings or mass layoffs.
In Iowa, a company files a WARN notice with Iowa Workforce Development.
Ted Harms, the state's Rapid Response coordinator, said he received a WARN notice concerning APAC's Waterloo call center Tuesday.
The next step Harms takes is to set up a meeting between APAC officials and various organizations with assistance for displaced workers.
"What we want to do from the start is diffuse the anxiety caused by being a displaced worker," Harms said.
After the initial meeting, Harms arranges multiple meetings with workers to explain options available to them after the facility closes. Among other reasons, Harms arranges multiple meetings to make sure all workers get a chance to attend.
"We have conducted these meetings at 2 a.m.," Harms said.
Conducting several meetings also allows for smaller groups, which lets employees ask more questions about the help available to them.
One of the groups attending is Hawkeye Community College Workforce Development. The program offers help with finding a job by offering help with putting together resumes and cover letters and interviewing for a job. Diane Wilson, HCC Workforce Development's director, said reviewing those type of skills can be essential for someone who hasn't gone looking for a job for a while.
"I know I would need to go over that stuff again," Wilson said.
The first goal of the program is to find jobs for people. If jobs cannot be located, HCC Workforce Development can offer assistance with the cost of training for additional job skills.
Iowa Workforce Development will attend meetings with terminated workers to explain items such as unemployment benefits.
Iowa has a special statute for plant closings. Typically, people who qualify for unemployment are eligible for up to 26 weeks for unemployment insurance. When people lose their jobs due to their employer closing the location, the maximum benefit amount is increased to 39 weeks.
Harms said the initial meeting with APAC officials will likely take place in January, with the informational meetings with employees ideally starting in mid-February. Those meeting depends on the workload facing the APAC workers.
"You never know what the demands of the work force are," Harms said.
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