Fremont’s largest employer, the NUMMI auto plant, is scheduled to close in March, leaving 5,400 workers without jobs, and tearing through the economy of Alameda County like a hurricane. Up to 1,000 NUMMI suppliers are expected to close their doors when the auto plant closes, throwing another 21,000 workers out on the street. In an effort to find some kind of answer to the impending disaster, a panel of federal officials met with UAW officials and members of the public at Ohlone’s Newark campus last Friday. The 28-person panel, hosted by Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, included Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, and representatives of the Departments of Labor, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation, Health and Human Services, Justice, Agriculture and the Small Business Administration. Ohlone was represented by President Gari Browning, Associate Vice President Leta Stagnaro and Ohlone Foundation head Dave Smith, who is also mayor of Newark. Montgomery said that President Barack Obama recognizes the concerns of people in the Fremont area are unprecedented because of the NUMMI plant closure. “The President recognizes the casualties of the closure such as the workers at the plants and the workers in the supply chains,” he said. “ Therefore, the President put together a White House Council to organize a federal response to work with businesses and to help people use the Recovery Act (the stimulus) passed by Congress to invest money to create new jobs.” Although offering no bailout of the NUMMI plant, Montgomery brought with him officials to address the impact of NUMMI’s closure. He said these officials would help the NUMMI workers and local leaders and businesses cut through the red tape and obtain federal assistance. Montgomery said federal government is a partner with state and local officials and workers and wanted to hear their recommendations regarding the NUMMI closure. “We need a comprehensive plan to deal with the NUMMI closure,” he said. “The President recognizes the closure affect the whole region and has instructed a White House Committee council to visit here, and bring representatives from federal agencies. This is the beginning of the process and partnership – the first step is to find what the needs are here.” Montgomery offered concrete immediate federal assistance in three ways: First, Montgomery said workers could get additional training, health and unemployment benefits under a federal program for workers impacted by foreign competition, called “Trade Adjustment Assistance” known as “TAA.” This program provides training, job search, income support and relocation allowances for people who have lost their job or lost wages because of increased foreign imports. Three or more persons or their Union must file a petition for these benefits to the Department of Labor. According local UAW President Sergio Santos, this petition is in the works.
Second, Montgomery said that the federal Economic Development Agency would provide grants to the City of Fremont to redevelop the NUMMI site even though that redevelopment might not include providing new manufacturing jobs. Third, Montgomery said that Ohlone and other colleges and schools can provide retraining for the workers and funding is available through the stimulus and Workforce Investment Act. Congressman Stark addressed the public and said “After looking at the Newark facility, it is clear the existing relationship between Ohlone and NUMMI will be productive to develop. Ohlone can provide new technology training to get people trained n the next few years.” Stark encouraged NUMMI workers and Ohlone to begin networking to see what programs and grant application exist, and to transfer as much information as possible. He said, “We have the burden of finding job replacement for the workers. Stark specifically recommended that workers petition for TAA. He noted that attempts to encourage General Motors or Toyota to keep the NUMMI plant open have failed. He seemed resigned to its closure. Stark said he invites investors to look at the NUMMI facility and that it is great facility to train workers in new trades. Congressman Jerry McNerney said NUMMI and Ohlone College have a long relationship. He said he hoped that the college could train NUMMI workers to develop new job skills, possibly by doing so in the plant itself. His spokesperson Sarah Hersh said that that McNerney thinks important resources are available at the college for NUMMI employees and Ohlone should be part of the discussion about what the college can provide to the workers and about what happens to the actual plant structure.
Bob Wasserman, Mayor of Fremont, said Fremont and NUMMI were partners for 25 years. He wants immediate enhanced unemployment compensation benefits for the laid off workers, and to provide them with training opportunities with Ohlone and other training programs. He said he is concerned about the future of the 388 acre parcel, bounded on each side by major highways and by the new Warm Springs BART. Wasserman said he had just received a call from the Economic Development Agency and that it would provide Fremont with technical assistance and grants to provide workers with new jobs. Smith said that Newark will be severely impacted by the NUMMI closure and there is a “ripple effect on thousands of people in the community.” Keith Carson, Alameda County Supervisor, said the Department of Energy is supplying $100 million to train people in green technology this year and that the federal government will fund health care training. Stagnaro said Ohlone has set up the Tri-Cities One Stop Center in Room 1211 at the Newark Campus which can provide training for NUMMI workers who are laid off. The Tri-Cities One Stop Center is located in Room 1211 at the Ohlone Campus. According to Yanni Zeng, student services assistant, the One Stop Center works with the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board to provide training and assistance to workers. Businesses can place no-cost job orders for new job openings at the center. The center is open to the public. Its website is tricitiesonestop.com. Telephone: (510) 742-2323. Stagnaro is a member of the board of directors of the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board, website: http://acwib.org/ NUMMI has been operated as a joint venture by Toyota and General
Motors for 25 years and is still manufacturing Toyota Corolla cars and Toyota Tacoma trucks. A $19.4 billion bailout from the federal government was not enough to keep GM from going into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in June 2009 at which time GM withdrew from its partnership with Toyota. In August, Toyota announced it will not order any more automobiles from the plant after March 2010. Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson is still rallying to keep the plan open as long as possible, and said that he reached out to a Chinese car manufacturing business to use the plant. So far, there are no takers. Sergio Santos, the president of United Auto Workers Local 2244, said his union which represents most NUMMI workers is urging people to sign a petition not to buy Toyota cars and trucks if it won’t keep the plant open. Greg Young, NUMMI’s director of special projects said that NUMMI will close soon and the best and highest use of the property must be found in order to benefit the community. Before the panel discussion, President Browning provided Montgomery and his entourage with a tour of the Ohlone Center for Health Sciences and Technology at the Newark campus. The new $108 million campus is equipped with high tech teaching tools including a $600,000 mock hospital room with mannequins to train nurses. After the tour, there was a brief press conference and several officials briefly addressed the audience, however, the panel discussion was closed to the public. Montgomery said Ohlone can obtain funds through two government programs to help bail out its anticipated $1.2 million budget shortfall regarding the general fund for 2010-’11. He recommended that Ohlone make applications to the Work Force Investment Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the “stimulus.” Montgomery said funds from these programs can be used for job searches, career training, work retraining and vocational degrees.
According to Michael Caligari, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ohlone College received about $170,000 last year to backfill funding for categorical programs. He said the college will not apply for federal stimulus funds for the college’s general fund because that would involve job creation. However, the college will partner with state and local agencies as they go forward to create jobs in that the college will consult with them regarding providing training and education.
By Kathryn Dixon
Staff writer