New Business and Employee Service Team Provides Airport Employers Information to Assist Displaced Employees

Business Wire, Oct 3, 2001

News Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2001

Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn and officials of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) today launched a newly established Business and Employee Service Team (BEST) to assist air carriers and other tenants at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in addressing an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 employee layoffs that have already begun due to the significant economic repercussions of the terrorist attacks of September 11 that closed the nation's airports.

At the first of four 90-minute information sessions for airport-wide employers scheduled today and next week, Mayor Hahn said, "Assuring the safety of passengers and employees at our nation's airports is and should be the top priority. But we must not ignore the serious impact that the events of September 11 are having on the working men and women who have lost their jobs and businesses at airports like LAX and in businesses that are dependent on air travel."

The mayor added, "These workshops will discuss management strategies for businesses coping with layoffs and the availability of rapid response services that provide employees with information on unemployment insurance, job search services, skills assessment, employment information, and retraining/education information."

Coordinated by the LAWA Small Business and Job Opportunities Division, the Business and Employee Service Team is comprised of a coalition of organizations including the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department, the State of California Employment Development Department, the South Bay Workforce Investment Board, the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board, and a consortium of one-stop employment service agencies.

BEST was established by the recently created LAWA Economic Impact Assessment Task Force, whose goal is to work with LAX tenants to mitigate the economic impacts on airport-wide employers and employees.

"Los Angeles World Airports is committed to assisting airport-industry businesses and employees in addressing the devastating economic impact resulting from the tragic events of September 11," said Lydia H. Kennard, LAWA executive director. "The establishment of the Business and Employee Service Team is the first of several initiatives being developed by our Economic Impact Assessment Task Force, which has already begun re-directing some of LAWA's established community development efforts to this imperative."

BEST partner agencies have developed an information packet for employers that describes resources available for their displaced employees, including unemployment insurance, job search services, skills assessment, employment information, and retraining and education information. Displaced workers will be referred to their local employment center for one-stop services. There they will work with a trained employment counselor who will assist them with re-employment services, and if necessary, job training services.

In addition, BEST has been designated the centralized clearinghouse for notifying impacted airport-wide businesses of the employment needs of Southern California companies that have already approached BEST with information on their open positions. BEST agencies will also proactively identify employment opportunities in other Southern California industries that require skills similar to those found in the wide-ranging types of jobs found in the airport environment.

The Small Business & Job Opportunities Division was established last year to expand upon LAWA's already established small-business community outreach programs. This division matches LAX-area employers with qualified staff, and educates small businesses on the City of Los Angeles' requirements for bidding on contract opportunities at LAWA. The BEST coalition is also holding special sessions with the smaller business operators at LAX, who have fewer resources than the airlines and other major tenants to respond to significant business disruptions.