Iowa Mobile Workforce Center comes to Perry to assist workers facing Tyson plant closure

A month after Iowa's unemployment agency unveiled the IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center, it's in action on grounds of the Tyson pork plant in Perry, where almost 1,300 workers are slated for layoffs as the city's largest employer closes at the end of June.

The 32-foot-long converted bus provides services that were previously available only in Iowa Workforce Development's IowaWORKS offices.

“The timing was perfect. This is exactly the kind of thing that we envisioned that we would be able to do, come right on the plant grounds and be here during the workday, have people come in and out during their breaks and provide resources,” Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in an interview in Perry on Monday.

The Mobile Workforce Center will be back on the Tyson grounds from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Townsend said the bus' crew of employment counselors remained steadily busy assisting workers throughout the day on Monday. A resource room also was set up inside the plant to catch workers who had limited time between shifts.

Center can help with employment searches, resumes, job training and signing up for unemployment

Workforce development estimated it assisted nearly 200 workers, providing information in some of the variety of languages spoken by the heavily immigrant workforce. The most common questions were about navigating the unemployment process, when to file for benefits, the reemployment process and what the next few weeks will look like.

Workers will be able to search for jobs, work on their resumes, sign up for training programs and get more information through the mobile center on Tuesday.

Workforce development is looking to open a transition center on Tyson grounds sometime next week to continue assisting workers until the plant’s closure, Townsend said.

Her agency also plans to hold group worker information meetings and host upcoming job fairs.

'Of course we were concerned about the Perry community'

Townsend said the IowaWORKS Rapid Response Team has been working with Tyson Foods and city leaders since the planned plant closure was announced March 11.

The closure is the second big blow of the year to Perry, a town of about 8,000 that already was struggling with a January school shooting that left three dead and injured six others.

“Of course we were concerned about the Perry community. This has been a community that has been hard hit and this seems like another knock-out blow. But I’m sure they’ll come back stronger and better than ever,” Townsend said. “It was really, what can we do to help make sure the community survives, make sure that we can keep as many people in the local area?”

More: As Tyson Foods closes Perry plant, are other Iowa facilities headed to the chopping block?

While Townsend said Tyson employees can’t apply for unemployment benefits until the plant closes, she encourages them to visit the mobile or transition centers for help in getting signed up for an IowaWORKS account, searching for jobs and polishing their resumes.

Workforce development director says workers will be eligible for full 26 weeks of jobless benefits

Iowa legislators in June 2022 cut the period Iowa workers can collect unemployment benefits to 16 weeks from 26. But Townsend said that doesn’t apply to workers affected by a plant closure. Perry Tyson workers will be eligible for unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks.

“Worst-case scenario, you have basically six months to find that next job. We hope that it doesn’t take you anywhere near that long, just because there are so many jobs available and we’re going to help you (find one),” Townsend said.

She added that there are almost 60,000 jobs currently open in Iowa, about 6,300 in manufacturing and around 800 in Dallas and Polk counties.

“The fact that we have over 800 manufacturing jobs in the local area, that’s a good sign for keeping people in the community,” Townsend said.

More: Tyson plant closing announcement takes Perry by surprise, but city leaders vow to rebound

Job fairs also planned; mayor meeting with Gov. Kim Reynolds

The first job fair for Perry Tyson workers will be held from 3-6 p.m. April 3 at the Hotel Pattee in downtown Perry. Townsend said a number of groups have reached out to workforce development about how they can help and multiple employers are interested in participating in the job fair.

“There’s going to be a lot of resources brought to bear to really kind of help minimize the impact,” she added.

While Perry’s Tyson closure will still have a large impact, Townsend remains hopeful as there are a number of jobs available in the area and across the state.

“It’s unfortunate that Tyson is leaving this area, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still great opportunities,” she said. “We think there are still a lot of viable career paths for almost everyone involved. It’s going to be OK and we’re going to help.”

Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh is slated to meet Tuesday with Iowa Gov, Kim Reynolds to discuss other ways the state can help.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Closing Tyson plant in Perry hosts Iowa's mobile jobs center