INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy o f a docum ent sent to us for microfilming. While the m ost advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this docum ent, the quality o f the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality o f the m aterial subm itted. The following explanation o f techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.T h e sign or “ targ et” for pages apparently lacking from the docum ent photographed is “ Missing Page(s)” . If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) o r section, they are spliced into the film along w ith adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure com plete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication o f either blurred copy because o f m ovem ent during exposure, duplicate copy, o r copyrighted m aterials th a t should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image o f the page can be found in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note will appear listing th e pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a m ap, drawing or chart, etc., is p art o f the m aterial being photographed, a definite m ethod o f “ sectioning” the materia! has been followed. It is custom ary to begin filming at th e upper left hand co m er o f a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until com plete. 4. F or illustrations th at cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by xerographic means, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and inserted into yo u r xerographic copy. These prints are available upon request from the D issertations Custom er Services D epartm ent. 5. Some pages in any docum ent may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. University Micrcxilms International 3 0 0 N .Z e e b R oad Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8303758 Bums, Donald Clare A CASE STUDY O F TRADE-ADJUSTMENT - ASSISTANCE-SPONSORED COMMUNITY-COLLEGE TRAINING FOLLOWING THE LYONS/MUIR CHRYSLER PLANT CLOSING Michigan State University University Microfilms International PH.D. 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 1982 A CASE STUDY OF TRADE-ADJUSTMENT-ASSISTANCE-SPONSORED COMMUNITY-COLLEGE TRAINING FOLLOWING THE LYONS/MUIR CHRYSLER PLANT CLOSING By Donald C. Burns A DISSERTATION Submitted t o Michigan S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f t h e require m ents f o r t h e degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f A d m i n i s t r a t i o n and Curriculum 1982 ABSTRACT A CASE STUDY OF TRADE-ADJUSTMENT-ASSISTANCE-SPONSORED COMMUNITY-COLLEGE TRAINING FOLLOWING THE LYONS/MUIR CHRYSLER PLANT CLOSING By Donald C. Burns Following t h e Lyons/Muir, Michigan, C h r y s l e r P l a n t c l o s i n g in th e summer o f 1979, 150 d i s p l a c e d workers e n r o l l e d i n Trade-AdjustmentA s s i s ta n c e - s p o n s o r e d t r a i n i n g a t Montcalm Community C o lle g e . This r e s e a r c h , conducted i n e a r l y 1982, used a c a s e - s t u d y appro ach , i n c l u d ­ ing reviews o f w r i t t e n documents, i n t e r v i e w s , and a f o ll ow -up s t u d y , t o g a t h e r i n f o r m a tio n about and develop an u n d e r s t a n d in g o f th e communityc o n ege t r a i n i n g o f t h e d i s p l a c e d wo rkers . The w r i t e r d e s c r ib e d program g o a ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s and t h e t r a i n i n g process from t h r e e p o i n t s o f view (Department o f Labor, community c o l l e g e , and p a r t i c i ­ p a n t s ) , d i s c u s s e d p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes, and t e s t e d f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s concerning employment f o llo w in g t r a i n i n g and e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s ti o n s concerning p a r t i c i p a n t s ’ e d u c a t i o n a l achievement and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . The t e s t d a t a were documented t o s u p p o r t t h e i r g e n e ra liz a tio n to o th e r cases. Although t h e goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f th e t h r e e groups were n o t i d e n t i c a l , e . g . , t h e community c o l l e g e was i n t e r e s t e d i n i n c r e a s e d e n r o l lm e n t and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were i n t e r e s t e d in extended funding Donald C. Burns a llo w a n c e s , th ey were com pa tible and d i d not appear t o c o n f l i c t . The t r a i n i n g was a h u r r i e d p r o c e s s , su pport ed by two agen ci es t h a t worked well with each o t h e r and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . There was some l a c k o f i n fo r m a t io n and a need f o r improved s e r v i c e s , b u t , in g e n e r a l , agency i n t e n t i o n s and s e r v i c e s were p o s i t i v e . On t h e a v e r a g e , p a r t i c i p a n t s completed more than 30 s em e ste r c r e d i t hours and m a in ta ined a B- (2.83 grade p o i n t ) a v e r a g e . They were s a t i s f i e d w ith c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s ex cep t f o r p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g and job placement. In February-March 1982, 56 p e r c e n t were employed. Males were s i g n i f i c a n t l y more s u c c e s s f u l i n g a i n in g employment th an were t h e fe m ales. Those who gained employment were s i g n i f i c a n t l y younger th an th o s e who did n o t . Although many did not immediately gain employment and t h e r e was a need f o r improvement i n s e r v i c e s , t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s p e r c e iv e d th e program as being b e n e f i c i a l . Based on th e f i n d i n g s , recommendations were made f o r changes in TAA g u i d e l i n e s , f o r community-college t r a i n i n g f o llo w in g p l a n t c l o s i n g s , and f o r f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h on d i s p l a c e d w or k ers . I d e d i c a t e t h i s work t o two ver y s p e c i a l peop le: n\y p a r e n t s , Louis Michael and Florence Hogan Burns. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am very g r a t e f u l f o r t h e a s s i s t a n c e t h a t I r e c e i v e d from G a b r i e l l a B e l l i , Dr. James Buschman, Susan Cooley, Jane La Londe, L e s l i e Morford, Roberta Moutsatson, Dr. James Nelson, and my w i f e , Maureen. Maureen n o t only provided much h e l p , but she was, in f a c t , a s i n g l e p a r e n t t o our f o u r c h i l d r e n from January through June o f 1982. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF T A B L E S .......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................... ix Chapter I. II. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 The P r o b l e m ............................................................................................ Purpose o f t h e S t u d y ....................................... Importance o f t h e Study .................................................................. Research Approach ............................................................................... L i m i t a t i o n s ............................................................................................ S e t t i n g o f th e S t u d y ...................................................................... Lyons, Michigan ............................................................................... Io nia C o u n t y .................................................................................... C h r y s le r Cor porat io n .................................................................. The C h r y s le r Employees .............................................................. The Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission .................... Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e . . ..................................... Montcalm Community College ..................................................... Lyons C h r y s l e r Community S ervic e Council ......................... Summary o f t h e S e t t i n g .............................................................. D e f i n i t i o n o f Terms ........................................................................... O v e r v i e w ................................................................................................. 1 2 3 5 6 8 8 11 14 17 21 23 26 29 34 35 36 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ......................................................... 38 P l a n t Clos ings and Displaced Workers .................................... The E f f e c t o f Technological Change .................................... Case S t u d i e s .................................................................................... White- and B l u e - C o l l a r Workers ........................................ The E f f e c t o f P l a n t Shutdowns onWorkers ......................... Consequences o f P l a n t Closure ................................................. The Physic al and Mental Health E f f e c t s o f Job Displacement ................................................................................ S t r e s s , Primary Support Systems, and t h e BlueC o l l a r W o m a n ................................................................................ C a p i t a l i s m and Human Obsolescence ........................................ C ap it al and Communities .............................................................. 38 38 39 41 43 45 iv 48 49 50 51 Page III. IV. Community-College S e r v ic e s Following P l a n t Closing s , . V i r g in i a Highlands Community College ............................... North Centr al Technical College............................................. Orange County Community College............................................. Summary . .......................... 53 55 56 57 58 METHODOLOGY OF THE S T U D Y .................................................................. 60 Restatement o f Purpose .................................................................. Choosing a Research Approach ..................................................... P o p u l a t i o n ............................................................................................ D a t a - C o l l e c t i o n Procedures ......................................................... Procedure in Level I .................................................................. Procedure in Level I I .................................................................. Procedure in Level I I I .............................................................. Data -A nalys is Procedures .............................................................. P r o p o s i t i o n s and Research Questions .................................... P r o p o s i t i o n s .................................................................................... Q u e s t i o n s ............................................................................................. Summary..................................................................................................... 60 60 64 66 66 68 69 73 74 75 75 76 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS........................................................................... 78 R e s u l t s ...................................................................................................... Goals and E x p e c t a t i o n s .............................................................. What Happened and How I t H a p p e n e d ........................................ P a r t i c i p a n t Outcomes .................................................................. A n a l y s i s ................................................................................................. Common and C o n f l i c t i n g Goals and Ex pe ctatio ns . . . . What Happened and How I t Happened—The E t i c P o i n t o f V i e w ............................................................................... Discrepancy Between What Was and What Should Have Been: C ollege S e r v ic e s ................................................. S t a t i s t i c a l Anal ysis o f th e Four P r o p o s i t i o n s . . . . S t a t i s t i c a l A n a ly s is o f th e Ei ght R elated Questions . Summary...................................................................................................... V. 78 78 84 108 120 121 123 132 133 138 144 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 146 Summary...................................................................................................... Some General Obser vat ions .......................................................... Recommendations ................................................. <................................. Recommendations Concerning TAA G u id elines ...................... Recommendations Concerning Community-College T r a i n i n g Following P l a n t Closings .................................... Recommendations Concerning Future Research .................. Chapter Summary .................................................................................... 146 152 156 156 v 159 163 164 Page APPENDICES................................................................................................................... 165 A. TAA CONFIRMATION LETTER........................................................................ 166 B. INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRES .................................................................... 168 C. RECORD-REVIEW INFORMATION ................................................................... 178 D. CORRESPONDENCE.......................................................................................... 190 E. 195 SURVEY INSTRUMENT.......................................................... ...................................................... 207 .............................................................................................................. 209 F. THE INVESTIGATOR'S PERSPECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY Vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Page Annual Average Unemployment Rate Comparisons: I o n ia County and Surrounding Areas ......................................................... 13 E stimated Earnings Levels f o r S e l e c t e d Occupations: I o n ia County (March 1979) .................................................................. 15 C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f La id- Off C h r y s le r Lyons Trim P l a n t Workers R e g i s t e r e d With th e I o n i a MESC Job S e r v ic e O f f i c e —J u l y 1979 .................................................................................... 18 Summary o f C h r y s l e r Q u e s t i o n n a ir e Completed by La id- Of f Workers R e g i s t e r e d a t I o n ia County ............................................ 22 5. Reasons f o r P a r t i c i p a t i o n in TAA-Sponsored T r a i n i n g . . . . 83 6. Demographic Info r m a t io n : Respondents, Nonrespondents, and T o t a l ...................................................................................................... 110 7. Reaction t o College S e r v ic e s 112 8. Employment S t a t u s o f Respondents 9. P e r c e p t i o n s o f Program B e n e f i t 2. 3. 4. 10. ............................................................... ...................................................... 114 ........................................................... 117 TAA R e c ip i e n t s E n r o l l e d in Michigan Community Colleg es : Apr il 1, 1981, t o October 1, 1 9 8 1 ....................................... 129 C o r r e l a t i o n Between Importance That Should Have Been Place d on C e r t a i n College S e r v i c e s and That Which Was P l a c e d ................................................................................................. 134 C r o s s - T a b u la t io n Between Importance That Was Placed and Importance That Should Have Been Place d on Co lleg eS e r v ic e Goals 3 and 1 0 ....................................................................... 135 13. Chi-Square T e s t R e s u l t s : Sex by Employment S t a t u s ................... 136 14. Chi-Square T e s t R e s u l t s : S t a r t i n g Date by Employment S t a t u s .......................................................................................................... 136 t - T e s t R e s u l t s : Age by Employment S t a t u s 137 11. 12. 15. v ii ..................................... Page 16. t-T e s t Results: Grad e- Point Average by Employment S t a t u s 17. t-T e st Results: Grad e- Point Average by Sex ................................... 139 18. t-T e st Results: Grade-Point Average by S t a r t i n g Date . . . . 139 19. Pearson C o r r e l a t i o n R e s u l t s : Grade-Point Average by Age 20. t-T e st Results: P e r c e p t i o n s by S e x ........................................ 21. t-T e st Results: P e r c e p t i o n s by S t a r t i n g Date ............................... 141 22. t-T e s t Results: P e r c e p t i o n s by Employment S t a t u s ...................... 141 23. Pearson C o r r e l a t i o n R e s u l t s : P e r c e p t i o n s by Age 24. Pearson C o r r e l a t i o n R e s u l t s : P e r c e p t i o n s by Grade-P oint A v e r a g e ...................... viii . . . . 137 140 140 ........................ 142 142 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Location o f Lyons, Michigan .............................................................. 9 2. Unemployment Rates: United S t a t e s , Michigan, and I onia C o u n t y ............................................................................................ 12 3. Location o f Montcalm CommunityCollege ........................................... 26 4. The Study Group in R e l a t i o n to t h e Total C h r y s le r TAA R e c i p i e n t s ........................................................................................ 65 Schematic R e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f th e Data-Gathering Approach Used in This S t u d y ............................................................................... 67 6. T r i a n g u l a t i o n ............................................................................................. 67 7. D a t a - C o l l e c t i o n Procedures ................................................................... 72 8. D ata-Ana lysis P l a n ..................................................................................... 77 5. ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Problem In s p r i n g 1979, t h e C h r y s l e r Corporatio n decided to c l o s e i t s t r i m p l a n t i n Lyons, Michigan.^ For t h e p l a n t ' s 900 employees, who had been ver y p r o d u c t iv e w o r k e rs , i t was a d e v a s t a t i n g blow. The p l a n t was c l o s e d , n o t because o f poor work q u a l i t y , b u t r a t h e r because C h r y s l e r Cor porat io n was e x p e r i e n c i n g a major f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s . Because th e c l o s i n g was r e l a t e d t o t h e Trade Act o f 1974 ( a f f e c t e d by f o r e i g n t r a d e ) , th e employees were e l i g i b l e f o r r e t r a i n i n g b e n e f i t s through th e Trade Adjustment A s s i s ta n c e (TAA) program. workers chose t o a t t e n d a nearby community c o l l e g e . A number o f E n r o l l i n g in a v a r i e t y of programs o f s t u d y , they proceeded t o t r a i n f o r new j o b s . From August 1979 through September 1981, p a r t i c i p a n t s r e c e i v e d f i n a n ­ c i a l s u p p o r t as they took coursework and pr epare d t o change t h e i r work l i v e s . TAA funding ceased i n October 1981, and f o r a l l i n t e n t s and purposes th e TAA program came to an end. Hence January 1982, a t t h e end o f t h e program and b e f o r e t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s d i s p e r s e d , was an a p p r o p r i a t e time f o r e v a l u a t i o n . ^Commonly r e f e r r e d t o as Lyons/Muir because o f t h e prox im ity o f t h e two v i l l a g e s . The Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e program i s d i s c u s s e d i n more d e t a i l in a l a t e r s e c t i o n o f t h i s c h a p t e r . 1 2 What a r e t h o s e p a r t i c i p a n t s doing now? a purpose? What r e a l l y t r a n s p i r e d ? Did t h e program s e r v e To gain answers to such q u e s ­ t i o n s , i t i s n e c e s sa r y to und er stan d t h e program environment. Because t h r e e groups o f people were involved ( t h e Department o f Labor, a community c o l l e g e , and th e program p a r t i c i p a n t s ) , t h e r e were t h r e e p e r s p e c t i v e s t o th e t r a i n i n g a c t i v i t i e s . Each group had i t s own expec­ t a t i o n s and, as th e t r a i n i n g took p l a c e , each viewed t h e proc es s from i t s own p e r s p e c t i v e . T h e r e f o r e , an a c c u r a t e d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e t r a i n ­ ing process n e c e s s i t a t e d i n p u t from each o f t h e s e gro up s. Purpose o f t h e Study The purpose o f t h i s study was to d e s c r i b e t h e TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g program as viewed by t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s , by t h e Department o f Labor, and by t h e community c o l l e g e ; t o d e s c r i b e t h e outcomes o f t h e t r a i n i n g ; and t o d e s c r i b e p a r t i c i p a n t r e a c t i o n s t o t h e t r a i n i n g e x p e r ie n c e . The o v e r a l l r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n was: What was th e working r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s , t h e Department o f Labor, and th e community c o l l e g e as plans were dev eloped, t r a i n i n g took p l a c e , and p a r t i c i p a n t s r e t u r n e d t o t h e i r l i f e - c a r e e r a c t i v i t i e s ? More s p e c i f i c a l l y , what were t h e goa ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f each group? What happened and how d i d i t happen, from t h e p e r s p e c t i v e o f each group? What were t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' e d u c a t i o n a l and employment o u t ­ comes? What were t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' r e a c t i o n s t o t h e t r a i n i n g program? 3 Importance o f th e Study Such programs as TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g a r e o f t e n implemented f o r p o l i t i c a l rea so ns and end on a s i m i l a r b a s i s , w it h o u t s u f f i c i e n t r e s e a r c h knowledge o r b a s e . In Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e : A Case Study o f th e Shoe I n d u s t r y in M a s s a c h u s e t t s , McCarthy (1975) p r e se n te d one o f th e only s t u d i e s o f TAA b e n e f i t s f o ll o w in g a p l a n t c l o s i n g . However, he d id n o t pr ovide any meaningful in fo r m a tio n about t r a i n i n g a s p e c t s ; r a t h e r , he emphasized how b e n e f i t s helped t o supplement income f o r l a i d - o f f workers as th ey a ttem pted t o f i n d new employment. The p r e s e n t s tu d y r e p r e s e n t s t h e f i r s t and only d e s c r i p t i o n o f TAAsponsored t r a i n i n g —t h e kind o f i n fo r m a ti o n needed by t h e government o r o t h e r s who might c o n s id e r such t r a i n i n g in t h e f u t u r e . Because o f th e changing job m ar k et, t h e r e a r e many i n d i c a t i o n s t h a t t h e need f o r a s s i s t a n c e programs w i l l i n c r e a s e i n th e f u t u r e . According t o Anderson (1981), The American j o b market i s changing with a speed t h a t con­ founds even t h e e x p e r t s . Over t h e n e x t dec ade, sweeping econ­ omic and t e c h n o l o g i c a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s w i l l a l t e r t h e jo b s people do and t h e ways th e y do them. O l d e r , heavy i n d u s t r i e s such as s t e e l and automobile m an ufacturing w i l l co n tin u e a r etr en ch m en t t h a t has a l r e a d y begun—and th e s e m i s k i l l e d le g i o n s who s e rv e d them w i l l be hard p r e s s e d t o f i n d s i m i l a r work. Mean­ w h i l e , h i g h - t e c h companies i n s h i n y new f i e l d s , from r o b o t i c s t o b i o e n g i n e e r i n g , w i l l be snapping up q u a l i f i e d workers as f a s t as s c h o o ls t u r n them o u t . I t w i l l be a decade o f dr am atic demo­ g r a p h i c , geographic and e d u c a t io n a l r e a l i g n m e n t. And i t w i l l be p a i n f u l , (p. 88) Changing techno lo gy i s n o t t h e only f a c t o r . S t a t e s , c a p i t a l i s moving a t an e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g r a t e . In t h e United Bluestone (1980) s t a t e d , You d o n ' t have t o be an economist o r an unemployed worker to be aware o f t h e epidemic o f p l a n t c l o s i n g s and o t h e r forms 4 o f c a p i t a l f l i g h t now sweeping th e c o u n t r y . From day t o day o r week t o week, i t may be a s h i r t f a c t o r y i n C o n n e c ti c u t , a s t e e l m ill in Ohio or an automobile p l a n t in C a l i f o r n i a , and however t h i s d i s i n v e s t m e n t t a k e s p l a c e , i t s r e p e r c u s s i o n s on p e o p l e , communities and even t h e p r o d u c t i v i t y o f t h e American economy as a whole a r e o f t e n d e v a s t a t i n g . In f a c t , t h e economic and s o c i a l wreckage l e f t in t h e wake o f c a p i t a l f l i g h t i s f a s t becoming a major American c r i s i s , (p. i ) Because community c o l l e g e s a r e s e r v i c e o r g a n i z a t i o n s , th ey a tte m p t t o meet th e needs o f t h e i r c o n s t i t u e n c i e s . They a r e e s t a b ­ l i s h e d t o meet t h e unique e d u c a t i o n a l needs o f l o c a l community members, which i n c l u d e s pr o v id in g c a r e e r t r a i n i n g . Community c o l l e g e s should be involved i n r e t r a i n i n g e f f o r t s f o ll o w i n g such c a t a s t r o p h i e s as plant closings. Yet very l i t t l e has been w r i t t e n about t h e community c o l l e g e ' s r o l e in res ponse t o p l a n t c l o s i n g s . Although V i r g i n i a Highlands Community College developed a Job Prep ar ed ne ss C en ter a t S a l t v i l l e in 1971; North Central Technological C ollege i n i t i a t e d P r o j e c t Care i n M a n sf ie ld , Ohio, i n 1978; and Orange County Community College p rov ided s e r v i c e s t o th o s e a f f e c t e d by a Ford p l a n t c l o s i n g in Middletown, New York, in 1980, t h e r e has been no w r i t t e n d i s c u s s i o n o f common approaches t o r e t r a i n i n g workers a f t e r p l a n t c l o s i n g s . Nor has s p e c i a l emphasis been placed on how community-college r e t r a i n i n g f u n c t i o n s f i t i n t o t h e l i v e s o f d i s p l a c e d w or k ers . This i n v e s t i g a t o r c o n s id e r e d t h e approaches o f t h e above-named community c o l l e g e s , as well as Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , and d e s c r i b e s both t h e process and outcome o f t h e s e t r a i n i n g programs i n succeeding s e c t i o n s o f th e dissertation. 5 Research Approach The c a s e - s t u d y approach was used in t h i s work because th e c as e des ig n i s " t y p i c a l l y used to answer q u e s ti o n s t h a t ask f o r d e s c r i p t i o n s o f a program's p a r t i c i p a n t s , g o a l s , a c t i v i t i e s and r e s u l t s " (Fink & Kosecoff, 1978, p. 15 ). The p o p u l a t i o n under i n v e s ­ t i g a t i o n comprised 150 former Lyons/Muir C h r y s le r P l a n t workers who became Montcalm Community College s t u d e n t s during o r a f t e r f a l l se m e ste r 1979. Since t h e funding g u i d e l i n e s r e q u i r e d each p a r t i c i p a n t to t a k e a minimum number o f co u r se s d i r e c t e d toward a s p e c i f i c c a r e e r , each was a f u l l - t i m e o c c u p a t i o n a l - e d u c a t i o n s t u d e n t . The d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n p r o c e s s , which i s d e s c rib e d more f u l l y in Ch apter I I I , c o n s i s t e d o f s e v e r a l s t e p s , based on a modifie d v e r ­ s io n o f a model s uggested by Fink and Kosecoff. In itia l participant go a l s and e x p e c t a t i o n s were i d e n t i f i e d from minutes o f m e e t i n g s , n e w s l e t t e r s and o t h e r documents pr ep ared by p a r t i c i p a n t s durin g t h e prec ed ing two and o n e - h a l f y e a r s . Department o f Labor g o a ls and ex pec­ t a t i o n s were fo rm u la te d from government documents and d i s c u s s i o n s with TAA o f f i c i a l s . Community-college go als and e x p e c t a t i o n s were developed from w r i t t e n m a t e r i a l s d e s c r i b i n g Montcalm Community C ollege go a l s and o b j e c t i v e s and d i s c u s s i o n s with Montcalm Community College s t a f f members. With t h e s e g o a ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s i n mind, s p e c i f i c q u e s t i o n s were f o r m u l a t e d , sour ce s o f i n fo r m a tio n i d e n t i f i e d , and d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n te c h n iq u e s det er m in ed. Data were g a t h e r e d through t h e use o f t h r e e d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n techniques: document and r e c o r d r e v ie w s , a s u r v e y , and per so nal interview s. The i n v e s t i g a t o r reviewed such documents as th e Trade 6 Act o f 1974, Federal R e g i s t e r g u i d e l i n e s , and Montcalm Community C o ll eg e c a t a l o g s t o begin compilin g i n f o r m a t i o n on g o a ls and ex pec­ t a t i o n s and t o complement s u rv ey and i n t e r v i e w d a t a . Records such as com m unity -c ollege t r a n s c r i p t s were reviewed t o d e t e r m in e e d u c a t i o n a l ac hieve men t. A s u r v e y was a d m i n i s t e r e d t o d ete r m in e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' go a l s and e x p e c t a t i o n s , r e a c t i o n s t o community-college s e r v i c e s , employment s t a t u s , and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t s . I n te r v i e w s were conducted to s u b s t a n t i a t e survey i n f o r m a t i o n and t o d e s c r i b e what happened and how i t happened from t h r e e p o i n t s o f view ( D e p a r t ­ ment o f Labor , community c o l l e g e , and p a r t i c i p a n t s ) . The w r i t e r reviewed t h e af o rem en tio n ed documents, u s in g s u g ­ g e s t i o n s from members o f each o f t h e t h r e e g r o u p s , and he conducted t h e r e c o r d reviews in c o n j u n c t i o n w it h c om m unity-c onege o f f i c i a l s . The s u rv ey and i n t e r v i e w i n s t r u m e n t s , developed w ith i n p u t from t h e Department o f Labor and p a r t i c i p a n t s , were a d m i n i s t e r e d w i th t h e he lp o f t h e community c o l l e g e . By u s in g numerous i n f o r m a t i o n s o u r c e s and d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n i n s t r u m e n t s , t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r was a b l e t o develop a tria n g u la tio n o r c ro ss-re fe re n c in g technique. The ad v an tag e o f t h i s p a r t i c u l a r t e c h n i q u e f o r c o l l e c t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t an e v e n t sh ould be s t r e s s e d . The c a s e - s t u d y w o r k e r ' s prim ar y i n t e n t i o n i s t o respond t o t h e m u l t i p l i c i t y o f p e r s p e c t i v e s p r e s e n t i n a s o c i a l s i t u a ­ tion. See Appendix F f o r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n co n c e r n in g t h e i n v e s ­ t i g a t o r 's perspective. Lim itations I n f o r m a t i o n was c o l l e c t e d by means o f s e v e r a l t e c h n i q u e s , each o f which has a d vantages and d i s a d v a n t a g e s . I t i s important to 7 no te t h e s e s t r e n g t h s and weaknesses, as well as t h e l i m i t a t i o n s th ey impose on a s tu d y . Although r ec ord reviews a r e u n o b tru s i v e and r e l a t i v e l y i n e x p e n s i v e , th ey can be d i f f i c u l t t o complete because o f l e g a l i t i e s , d i s o r g a n i z a t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n , or simply u n a v a i l a b i l i t y . Q ues tio n­ n a i r e s , althoug h f a i r l y in ex p en s iv e and r e l a t i v e l y easy t o a n a l y z e , have th e d is adva nta ge o f l i m i t i n g t h e kind o f in fo r m a ti o n o b t a i n e d . I n t e r v i e w s , on t h e o t h e r hand, pe rm it f l e x i b i l i t y and allow t h e i n t e r ­ viewer t o pursue u n a n t i c i p a t e d l i n e s o f i n q u i r y . However, th ey a r e time consuming, and sometimes t h e i n t e r v i e w e r can unduly i n f l u e n c e th e i n t e r v i e w e e ' s r e s p o n s e s . Case des ig n s a r e sometimes c a l l e d p r e - e x p e r i m e n t a l ; they can be used to s u g g e s t t h e pro ba ble e x i s t e n c e o f c e r t a i n outcomes t h a t , i f confirmed, can be s t u d i e d in more c o n t r o l l e d s i t u a t i o n s . Case design s provide th e b a s i s f o r d e s c r i b i n g ; th ey do n o t , however, e l i m i n a t e s e v e r a l t h r e a t s t o v a l i d i t y , as d e f i n e d by Campbell and S ta n l e y (1971). The most r e a l i s t i c t h r e a t s t o i n t e r n a l v a l i d i t y in t h e ca se design used i n t h i s study were: (1) h i s t o r y - - o t h e r e v e n t s , such as t h e r i s i n g unemployment f i g u r e s a t t h e same time as th e t r a i n i n g , changed employment o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r p a r t i c i p a n t s ; (2) m a t u r a t i o n —many o f th e p a r t i c i p a n t s were e x p e r i e n c i n g m i d l i f e changes b e f o r e and du rin g th e implementation o f th e TAA t r a i n i n g ; and (3) m o r t a l i t y —t h e i n a b i l i t y t o communicate with p a r t i c i p a n t s who moved away o r th o s e who, f o r o t h e r r e a s o n s , were u n a v a i l a b l e may have r e s t r i c t e d compre­ hen siv e r e p o r t i n g . were as f o ll o w s : The most r e a l i s t i c t h r e a t s to e x t e r n a l v a l i d i t y (1) i n t e r a c t i v e e f f e c t s o f s e l e c t i v e b i a s —th e 8 r e s u l t s o f th e program f o r t h e former Lyons/Muir C h r y s l e r P l a n t employees w i l l n o t n e c e s s a r i l y be t h e same f o r a n o t h e r group o f wo rk ers; (2) multi pi e-program i n t e r f e r e n c e —i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e Depar t­ ment o f Labor and community c o l l e g e s , o t h e r s e r v i c e a g e n c i e s , e . g . , t h e Department o f Social S e r v ic e s and t h e Department o f Mental H e a lt h , provided s e r v i c e s f o r th e p a r t i c i p a n t s . I t is possible th a t certain outcomes r e s u l t e d from t h e s e o t h e r s e r v i c e s o r a combination o f services. S e t t i n g o f th e Study Lyons, Michigan One must d r i v e through m i le s and miles o f r u r a l c o u n t r y s i d e to g e t t o Lyons ( p o p u l a t i o n 7 5 8 ) . Approximately 35 miles n o r th and west o f Lansing, Michigan, Lyons i s s i t u a t e d on t h e Grand River . The town fo u n d e r, Lucias Lyons, i s remembered by a marker t h a t b e a r s h i s name. "The place i s c a l l e d A r t h u r e s b u r g —b u t we wi ll change th e name— I own t h e whole town s i t e —i t w i l l become one o f th e most im port an t towns in M ichig an," Lyons wrote a r e l a t i v e on February 24, 1936 ( D e t r o i t Free P r e s s . November 8 , 1981). Figu re 1 shows t h e l o c a ­ t i o n o f Lyons, Michigan. Although t h e Michigan l e g i s l a t u r e once c o n s id e r e d Lyons as a s i t e f o r t h e s t a t e c a p i t a l , t h e town was passed by. Lyons c u r r e n t l y c o n s i s t s o f a bank, a bar be rs ho p t h a t i s open t h r e e days a week, a t o o l - a n d - d i e workshop, and a b u i l d i n g t h a t once housed a f u r n i t u r e s t o r e , a o n e - s t a l l g a r a g e , an a u t o body shop, a VFW p o s t , a small p o s t o f f i c e , and a b a r . 9 A Muskegon I onia •Muir •Lyons M-21 Grand Rapids Lansi Figure 1 . —Location o f Lyons, Michigan. When C h r y s le r c l o se d i t s p l a n t i n J u l y 1979, Lyons had been economically t i e d t o t h e automobile i n d u s t r y f o r more th a n 20 y e a r s . The p l a n t had been b u i l t i n 1947 t o make a u to p a r t s and had been owned by s e v e r a l small f ir m s b e f o re being purchased by t h e American F e l t Company, which work h i s t o r y in c lu d e s s o ld i t t o C h r y s le r in 1965. I t s numerous times o f s t r i f e : The American F e l t Company e x p er ien ced a two-week s t r i k e i n 1964, C h r y s le r was t h e t a r g e t o f s t r i k e s i n 1966 and 1972, and i n 1974, as t h e automobile i n d u s t r y s u f f e r e d a ge ne ral r e c e s s i o n , th e p lan t nearly closed. s t r e s s because t h e people o f Lyons, Each o f t h e s e s i t u a t i o n s caused those in itssister city, ( p o p u la ti o n 617), and those in surr o u n d in g I o n ia County communities had become dependent on economic s u p p o r t from th e a u t o - r e l a t e d p l a n t . Muir 10 The p l a n t was s a i d t o be c o n t r i b u t i n g about $20 m i l l i o n p e r y e a r t o th e l o c a l economy. From June 1979 t o December 1981, numerous news a r t i c l e s were w r i t t e n about Lyons. The f o ll o w i n g a r e a few o f t h e h e a d l i n e s and comments. TOWN SHATTERED BY PLANT CLOSING STRIVES TO SURVIVE For 15 y e a r s , C h r y s le r has been t h e only major employer i n Lyons (pop. 8 00) , a r u r a l community tucked in among corn and soybean f i e l d s between Lansing and Ion ia on t h e Grand R iv e r . Then s ud­ d e n l y , a l i t t l e more than two months ago, t h e shutdown n o t i c e was p o s te d a t th e p l a n t . When t h e l a s t s h i f t l e f t th e p l a n t l a s t F r id a y , t h e w o r k e rs , many o f them mar ried couples who worked a l o n g s i d e each o t h e r , became unemployed. Only a few have been a b l e t o t r a n s f e r to o t h e r C h r y s le r j o b s . ( D e t r o i t Free P r e s s , J u l y 24, 1979) TOWN FULFILLS A GRIM PROPHECY Grim p r e d i c t i o n s o f a s ur ge in s u i c i d e s , c h i l d and spouse b e a t ­ i n g s , a l c o h o lis m and drug abuse g r e e t e d t h e c l o s i n g a y e a r ago o f C h r y s l e r C o r p . ' s Lyons t r i m p l a n t . To t h e sorrow o f t h i s w e s t - c e n t r a l Michigan town, t h e f o r e c a s t , o f f e r e d by I o n ia County Welfare D i r e c t o r Mel Haga, has come t r u e . And t h e f u t u r e looks even d a r k e r . The r e a l c r i s i s beg ins now. ( The D e t r o i t News, June 23, 1980) LAYOFFS HURT OTHERS, TOO Larry M i l l e r neve r worked i n the C h r y s l e r t r i m p l a n t h e r e . He w a s n ' t a member o f t h e UAW, nor was he one o f th e p r o d u c tio n workers whose c a r e e r s s l i p p e d away when t h e p l a n t c l o s e d . But lik e others in the a r e a , the closing o f the trim p la n t a year ago d i r e c t l y a f f e c t e d Larry M i l l e r , h i s l i f e , h i s b u s i n e s s , h i s dreams. M i l l e r i s t h e owner and o p e r a t o r o f L a r r y ' s Auto Tune-Up S e r v i c e , a r e p a i r shop on Bridge S t r e e t i n t h i s o u t - o f - t h e - w a y v i l l a g e ' s small b u s in e s s d i s t r i c t . When t h e p l a n t c l o s e d , he l o s t a c o n t r a c t to s e r v i c e and m a i n ta in t h e v e h i c l e s a s s ig n e d to t h e p l a n t . (The [ L a n s in g , Michigan] S t a t e J o u r n a l , J u l y 20, 1980) LITTLE LYONS CLINGS TO LIFE Hard times g e t h a r d e r . There i s one more l e s s o n . A p l a n t c l o s ­ ing can l i n g e r alm os t i n d e f i n i t e l y , e s p e c i a l l y when t h e c l o s i n g has been cushioned by union o r government b e n e f i t s . For some Lyons w or k ers , th o s e b e n e f i t s r e c e n t l y have run o u t . I t i s probab ly th e h a r d e s t time now f o r some f o l k s , says Buelah P i e r c e f i e l d from behind t h e c o u n t e r a t t h e V i l l a g e R e s t a u r a n t in nearby Muir. "For a l o t o f f o l k s , t h i s i s t h e 11 f i r s t w i n t e r w i t h o u t a g u ar an teed wage." No b u s in e s s e s had to s h u t down i n Lyons a f t e r t h e p l a n t c l o s e d , alt ho ugh t h e few t h a t a r e i n th e v i l l a g e a r e h u r t i n g . Lemuel Freeman, f o r example, says h i s h o u s e - p a i n t i n g b u s in e s s has dropped about h a l f . "People a r e j u s t n o t s p e n d i n g , " he s a y s . There i s a l s o $11,000 i n u n c o l ­ l e c t e d t a x e s , which a cco r d in g t o businessman and Lyons v i l l a g e councilman, F r a n c is Ralp, i s more i n unpaid ta x e s th an Lyons has seen i n some time. ( D e t r o i t Free P r e s s , November 8 , 1981) Io nia County I o n i a , a r u r a l c o u n ty , has only a handful o f towns s c a t t e r e d w i t h i n i t s b o u n d a r ie s . p o p u l a t i o n o f 6, 300. The l a r g e s t c i t y , a l s o named I o n i a , has a The o t h e r towns with more th a n 1,000 r e s i d e n t s a r e Bel d i n g , P o r t l a n d , Lake Odessa, and Sar an ac . Because o f t h e l i m i t e d number o f major employers i n I o n ia County, t i e s t o Lansing and Grand Rapids a r e s t r o n g . A g r i c u l t u r e i s an i m p o rta n t p a r t o f th e lo c a l economy, b u t m an ufac turing and s ta t e - g o v e r n m e n t j o b s pro v id e th e most s i g n i f i c a n t employment o p p o r t u n i t i e s . ar e found w i t h i n t h e s e two c a t e g o r i e s . All o f t h e major employers H is to r ic a lly , the la rg e s t m an uf ac turing o p e r a t i o n s have been t i e d to t h e c a p i t a l - e q u i p m e n t , r e f r i g e r a t i o n , and automobile i n d u s t r i e s . A stu d y conducted i n 1979 p r e d i c t e d d i f f i c u l t times f o r I o n ia County because o f i t s l a b o r market makeup. A review o f an a r e a ' s economic b a s e , o r i n d u s t r i a l co m p o sitio n , prov ides t h e b a s i s f o r an a s ses sm en t o f t h e impact which n a t i o n a l , s t a t e , and l o c a l developments may have upon th e l o c a l economy. The a b i l i t y t o respond t o changes i n t h e b u s in e s s c y c l e , as well as s i g n i f i c a n t d i s r u p t i o n s t o t h e l o c a l employment b a s e , r e f l e c t t h e i n d u s t r i a l and o c c u p a ti o n a l composition o f t h e a r e a . H i s t o r i c a l l y , l o c a l a r e a s with a l a r g e dependency on manufactu r­ ing employment a r e more v o l a t i l e t o a d v e r se economic changes than l a b o r markets with a h i g h l y d i v e r s i f i e d i n d u s t r i a l b a s e . Com­ par ed with both t h e n a t i o n and s t a t e , t h e i n d u s t r y p r o f i l e o f I o n ia county i n d i c a t e s a much h e a v i e r r e l i a n c e on t h e manuf actur ­ ing s e c t o r as an employment s o u r c e . C onseq ue ntly, t h e b u s in e s s downturn expec ted f o r t h e l a s t h a l f o f 1979, coupled with t h e 12 J u l y 1979 c l o s i n g o f t h e C h r y s l e r Trim P l a n t w i l l have s i g ­ n i f i c a n t i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r t h e economic h e a l t h o f Ionia County. (Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission, 1979) H i s t o r i c a l l y , I o n ia County's j o b l e s s r a t e has been h i g h e r th a n t h a t o f Michigan and o f t h e n a t i o n as a whole. (See Figure 2 . ) Table 1 shows unemployment-rate comparisons f o r I onia County and su rr ou nding a r e a s from 1970 through 1978. PERCENT PERCENT t2> a IB .U S. KXCHIGM . XOKm COUNTY .. IB 12 .12 ■i i i. larra . .t— 1971 1972 1973 1974 197S 197B 1977 1979 Figure 2 , —Unemployment r a t e s : United S t a t e s , Michigan, and I onia County. (From Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission, Research and S t a t i s t i c s D i v i s i o n , Area Labor Market Review: I o n ia County Michigan. A r e p o r t prepared^ by t h e O u t s t a t e Labor Market A n a ly s is U n i t , August 1979, p. 1 5 .) Like t h e town o f Lyons, I o n ia County has been s p o t l i g h t e d by t h e news media. Independent Network News Correspondent Richard Townley, r e p o r t i n g on December 23, 1981, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e county in t h i s Table 1 . —Annual average unemployment r a t e comparisons: Ionia County and surrounding a r e a s . Michigan 1978 1977 1976 1975 1970 6.9% 8.2% 9.4% 12.5% 6.7% Lansing-East Lansing SMSA Clinton County Eaton County Ingham County Ionia County 6.3 5.1 4.7 6.6 8.4 7.7 6.2 5.7 8.0 10.2 8.6 6.9 6.5 9.1 11.4 11.9 9.6 9.0 12.5 15.5 6.5 5.2 4.8 6.8 8.6 Grand Rapids SMSA Kent County Ottawa County 5.0 5.1 4.7 6.3 6.4 5.8 7.9 8.1 7.4 11.3 11.5 10.6 6.5 6.7 6.1 13.3 15.9 17.9 18.1 6.5 G r e e n v il le LMA (Montcalm County) KEY: SMSA = Standard M etropolitan S t a t i s t i c a l Area. LMA = Source: Michigan Employment S e c u r i ty Commission, Research and S t a t i s t i c s D iv i s io n , Area Labor Market Review: Ionia County Michigan, a r e p o r t prepared by t h e O u t s ta t e Labor Market Analysis Unit (August 1979), p. 19. 14 manner: " Io n ia County, Michigan, i s a C h r i s tm a s - c a r d - lo o k i n g p l a c e , but i t happens t o be th e d epress ed c e n t e r o f a very dep res sed s t a t e . " C h r y s le r C or po ration C h r y s le r C o rporatio n e s t a b l i s h e d i t s Lyons p l a n t in 1965, and from t h a t time u n t i l J u l y 1979 th e f ir m r e p r e s e n t e d one o f th e l a r g e s t s i n g l e employers in Ionia County. I t provided work f o r more than 900 employees and paid a r e l a t i v e l y high wage (average wage $8.50 per hour) and s u b s t a n t i a l f r i n g e b e n e f i t s . This pay r a t e was p a r t i c u l a r l y high when compared with th e e s ti m a t e d wages f o r o t h e r jo b s i n Ionia County in 1979. (See Table 2 . ) A j o b a t th e Lyons Trim P l a n t r e p r e ­ s e n te d more than j u s t w o r k - - i t meant a s o l i d income and p r i d e as an employee o f a p r e s t i g i o u s company. During t h e 1974 r e c e s s i o n , C h r y s le r l a i d o f f n e a r l y 600 employees as i t s u f f e r e d through a dram atic s a l e s slump. As t h e econorny t u r n e d , however, th e p l a n t r e g a in e d and exceeded i t s former strength. When p l a n t - c l o s i n g rumors c i r c u l a t e d i n e a r l y 1979, employees hoped t h a t th ey would not s u f f e r a r e t u r n to th e 1974 s i t u a ­ tion. However, t h e r e s u l t s tu r n e d o u t t o be even worse than b e f o r e . On May 3, 1979, C h r y s le r Corporat io n announced t h a t i t had l o s t $52.8 m i l l i o n i n th e f i r s t q u a r t e r o f t h a t y e a r . Although t h i s l o s s was n o t as g r e a t as th e one f o r t h e same p e r io d du rin g t h e p r e ­ vious y e a r ($120 m i l l i o n in t h e f i r s t q u a r t e r o f 1978), t h e cumula­ t i v e e f f e c t du rin g a p e r io d in which t h e company had hoped t o break even was s t a g g e r i n g . C h r y s l e r ' s new p r e s i d e n t , Lee I a c o c c a , i n d i c a t e d t h a t th e company had f a l l e n behind in th e s m a l l - c a r market and t h a t s a l e s o f l a r g e r models c ontinued t o slump. 15 Table 2 . —Estim ated e a r n i n g s l e v e l s f o r s e l e c t e d o c c u p a t i o n s : I o n ia County (March 1979). Average Low Average Average High $3.40 $4.80 $6.80 Assembler, pr o d u ctio n 2.90 5.00 7.00 Boring m ill o p e r a t o r 2.90 4.50 5.75 C arpente r 2.90 4.50 9.00 Clerk 2.90 3.50 5.56 Die e l e c t r i c p r e s s o p e r a t o r 5.50 5.60 6.00 D rill press o p erator 2.90 3.20 5.20 E lectrician 3.50 4.90 6.46 F o r k - lif t operator 2.90 5.00 5.38 General l a b o r e r 2.90 3.80 6.50 Inspector 3.15 4.60 7.08 Janitor 2.90 3.50 5.18 Punch p r e s s o p e r a t o r 2. 90 4.40 5.68 Spray p a i n t e r 4.10 4. 90 6.78 S teno gra pher 3.85 4.80 6.46 Tool and d i e maker 3.40 5.80 7.00 Typist 2.90 3.25 5.67 Source: Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission* Research and S t a t i s ­ t i c s D i v i s i o n , Area Labor Market Review: Ionia County Michi­ g a n , a r e p o r t prepared by t h e O u t s t a t e Labor Market Ana lysis U nit (August 1979), p. 35. Occupation Arc welder C h r y s l e r C o r p o r atio n e x e c u t i v e s had exp ec ted t o f a c e tough times i n 1978 and 1979, b u t th ey d id n o t ex pec t t h e massive l o s s e s th e y a c t u a l l y i n c u r r e d - - n e a r l y two and o n e - h a l f times what th e y had predicted. "General Motors C o rporation and im p o rte r s took 70 p e r c e n t o f t h e April m a r k e t , Iococca n o te d . ' I f th a t continues, i t ' s a 16 disaster. Someth ing's out o f sync h e r e . I d o n ' t t h i n k i t can co n tin u e . . . t h e r e ' l l be noth ing (among im port s) l e f t t o b u y , ' he added" ( I o n ia S e n t i n e l S t a n d a r d , Hay 5, 1979). On F r id a y , Hay 4, 1979, t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g was announced. In an e f f o r t t o save s e v e r a l m i l l i o n d o l l a r s , t h e work o f t h e Lyons p l a n t was c o n s o l i d a t e d with t h a t o f t h e D e t r o i t Trim P l a n t and a p l a n t in Ajax, O n t a r i o . Congressman Harold Sawyer, U.S. R e p r e s e n t a t i v e from th e 5th D i s t r i c t , s e n t a l e t t e r t o C h r y s le r C o r poration i n an a t te m p t to s t o p o r slow down t h e p l a n t - c l o s i n g p r o c e s s . Following i s an e x c e r p t from t h a t l e t t e r : R e s p e c t f u l l y r e q u e s t you ceas e any f u r t h e r a c t i o n on p l a n t c l o s i n g pending thorough review o f e n t i r e p r o p o s a l . I would l i k e t o meet with you o r any o f y our management people i n a s i n c e r e e f f o r t t o work t h i s m a t t e r o u t i n such a way as to f u l l y s e r v e t h e b e s t i n t e r e s t s o f y our p l a n t employees in I o n ia County, as well as C h r y s le r C o r p o r a t io n . ( I o n ia S e n t i n e l S t a n d a r d , May 5, 1979) D e s p ite Congressman Sawyer's e f f o r t s , t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g took place. Workers were l a i d o f f th ro u g h o u t e a r l y summer 1979. By J u l y 20, t h e o f f i c i a l day o f t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g , p r o d u c tio n was c lo se d out. Final l a y o f f s , ex cep t f o r a s u p e r v i s o r and a small maintenance crew, were announced on September 7. Shortly t h e r e a f t e r , the c h a r te r o f United Auto Workers Local 1424 was removed and p laced in escrow, which meant t h e l o c a l union o f f i c i a l l y no l o n g e r e x i s t e d . The once- a c t i v e f a c i l i t y was s t r i p p e d o f machinery and workers (The [ L an s in g , Michigan] S t a t e J o u r n a l , J u l y 20, 1980). C h r y s le r C o r p o r atio n a tt e m p te d t o s o f t e n t h e blow by o f f e r i n g employees work o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n o t h e r p l a n t s , such as t h e D e t r o i t Trim P l a n t , and by a llow in g workers 55 y e a r s o l d o r o l d e r , with a t ■ 17 l e a s t 10 y e a r s o f s e n i o r i t y , t o draw on a s p e c i a l e a r l y r e t i r e m e n t fund. Few employees acc e p te d t h e t r a n s f e r o p t i o n s , but about 70 people signed up f o r e a r l y r e t i r e m e n t . The C h r y s l e r Employees The C h r y s le r Trim P l a n t i n Lyons provided a wide range o f occupations: e n g i n e e r s , d e s i g n e r s , sewing-machine o p e r a t o r s , n u r s e s , c h e c k e r s , and j a n i t o r s . The major p o r t i o n o f t h e work f o r c e comprised hourly per sonnel (appro xim at el y 85 p e r c e n t ) ; more th an 90 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l work f o r c e was c l a s s i f i e d as blue c o l l a r . A l a r g e number o f th e employees were women with lo n g -ter m s e n i o r i t y and high wages. (See Table 3 . ) Personal n ote s from employees gi ve i n s i g h t i n t o t h e i r f e e l ings a t th e time o f t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g . An employee named Jane Beaman s h ared f e e l i n g s o f f r u s t r a t i o n through n o t e s she kept durin g s p r i n g 1979: May 4 , 1979: 1 p.m.: C h r y s le r C o r p o r atio n announces t h a t th ey a r e d i s c o n ­ t i n u i n g o p e r a t i o n s a t t h e Lyons Trim P l a n t , Lyons, Michigan. 2 p.m.: The workers on t h e l i n e a r e n o t i f i e d by t h e i r Super­ v i s o r s o f s uch . SHOCKED AND SICK AT HEART--is t o put i t very m i l d l y , t h e r e a c t i o n to t h e announcement. Some d i d n ' t b e l i e v e i t , o t h e r s were very ang ry . The t e a r s flowed and remarks like--How can t h e y do t h i s t o us again?--remembering October 1974, when C h r y s le r made a l i k e announcement, only t o s t a r t up o p e r a t i o n s h er e ag ain i n June o f 1975, because t h e C h r y s le r Trim P l a n t in D e t r o i t co uld n o t handle t h e o p e r a t i o n s . C h r y s le r a d m i t s , we p u t o u t b e t t e r q u a l i t y work and have a b e t t e r a t t e n d a n c e r e c o rd h e r e . But they must c u t back somewhere and because th e D e t r o i t Trim P l a n t has t h e f a c i l i t i e s t o absorb o ur j o b s , th ey a r e moving them t h e r e . Also t h e r e i s t h e expense ^The a c t u a l names o f t h e employees quoted i n t h i s s e c t i o n were changed t o p r o t e c t t h e i r anonymity. Table 3 . —C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f l a i d - o f f C hrys le r Lyons Trim P l a n t workers r e g i s t e r e d with t h e Ionia MESC Job S er vic e O f f i c e —J u ly 1979. Occupations Machine Trades Benchwork Structural Work Miscellaneous 455a 100.0% 102 100.0% 175 100.0% 88 100.0% 55 100.0% Sex: Male Female 33.0% 67.0 44.1% 55.9 20.0% 80.0 36.4% 63.6 32.7% 67.3 Age: Under 25 years 25-44 y e a r s Over 44 y e a r s 9.0% 53.9 36.9 12.7% 50.0 37.3 5.7% 55.4 38.9 11.4% 53.4 35.2 9.1% 61.8 29.1 Education: Under 12 y e a r s 12 yea rs 13 t o 15 years Over 15 years 37.8% 55.2 5.9 1.1 37.3% 53.9 7.8 1.0 37.1% 60.6 1.7 0.6 40.9% 54.5 2.3 2.3 49.1% 45.4 5.5 0.0 Work Experience a t Company: Under 3 years 3 t o 10 y e a r s 11 to 20 y e a r s Over 20 y e a r s 26.8% 16.3 55.4 3.7 28.4% 18.6 46.1 6.9 33.1% 17.7 46.3 2.9 23.9% 11.4 62.5 2.3 10.9% 9.1 76.4 3.6 Hourly Wages: $6.00 to $7.50 $7.51 t o $9.00 Over $9.00 2.2% 90.8 7.0 0.0% 88.2 11.8 1.1% 96.0 2.9 0.0% 97.7 2.3 10.9% 89.1 0.0 Total (Number) ( Per ce nt) Source: Michigan Employment S e c u r i ty Commission, Research and S t a t i s t i c s D i v i s i o n , Area Labor Market Review: Ionia County Michigan, a r e p o r t prepared by t h e O u t s ta t e Labor Market Analysis Unit (August 197 ^)7 p._ 5. a Includes c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f some c l e r i c a l and p r o f e s s i o n a l occupation workers. 19 o f t r a n s p o r t i n g t h e m a t e r i a l s her e and t h e f i n i s h e d prod uc t back t o D e t r o i t . These reasons a r e o f very l i t t l e consequence or importance to one who i s l o s i n g h i s j o b . 1 Mary P o t t e r , spe ak ing f o r h e r s e l f and h e r f e l lo w w or k ers , d e s c r ib e d t h e i r f e a r o f th e unknown, y e t p r e d i c t a b l y d i f f i c u l t , future. Some C h r y s le r workers have o t h e r job o p t i o n s o r income s ourc es t o f a l l back on. But a l a r g e number o f us do n o t , and we f a c e what could t u r n o u t t o be a very d i f f i c u l t p e r io d in our l i v e s . The economic u n c e r t a i n t y i s heavy on our minds. How w i l l we make our mortgage payments? Pay our u t i l i t y b i l l s ? Feed our c h i l d r e n ? Eighty p e r c e n t o f th e workers a t C h r y s le r Lyons Trim P l a n t a r e women and many o f us a r e t h e s o l e so u rce o f s u p p o rt f o r our f a m i l i e s . How w i l l we make ends meet? Money i s not t h e only problem, however. Our jo b s mean more than j u s t money. We want t o work, t o be p r o d u c t i v e , t o f e e l t h a t we can t a k e c a r e o f o u r s e l v e s and our f a m i l i e s . When you r jo b i s p u l l e d o u t from under you th e world looks very d i f f e r e n t . You f e e l t h e e f f e c t s o f s e v e r e s t r e s s and may develop s t r e s s r e l a t e d problems. Other p l a n t s have gone down and we know what happened t o t h e i r employees. Some o f them had m a r i t a l and fa m ily problems. Some became very d e p r e s s e d . Others s t a r t e d d r i n k i n g , abusing drugs o r t a k i n g t h e i r i l l f e e l i n g s o u t on t h e i r f a m i l i e s and f r i e n d s . Many o f them developed h e a l t h problems such as u l c e r s o r high blood pressure. These a r e a l l normal and n a t u r a l respons es to l i f e - s t r e s s and can be expected to occu r whenever we must f a c e d r a s t i c l i f e changes such as th e l o s s o f our j o b s . As time goes on, however, people a d j u s t t o t h e i r new s i t u a t i o n s and most w i l l f i n d s o l u t i o n s t o t h e i r p r o b le m s . 2 Personal notes w r i t t e n by Jane Beaman. Because o f h e r a b i l i t y t o communicate, she was o f t e n i n t e r v i e w e d by t h e news media f o ll o w i n g C h r y s l e r ' s d e p a r t u r e . Jane l a t e r se rv ed as a c o u n s e l o r and became an a c t i v e member o f t h e Ly on s/Chrysl er Community S e r v ic e Council. O This i s a p o r t i o n o f a w r i t t e n s ta t e m e n t t h a t Mary P o t t e r made on J u l y 16, 1979. She was speaking f o r h e r s e l f and f o r o t h e r members o f UAW Local 1424. Mary a l s o ser ved as a c o u n s e l o r f o r h e r f e l lo w workers and became a member o f t h e Ly ons/C hrysl er Community S e r v ic e Council. 20 John Kline e xpress ed t h e p r i d e , a n g e r , and b i t t e r n e s s f e l t by many o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers. They were proud o f p a s t accomplish­ ments, angry a t what many p er ceiv ed as c o r p o r a t e incompetence, and b i t t e r about t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g and l o s s o f t h e i r j o b s . There have been coiments by uninformed people t h a t t h e Lyons Trim P l a n t i s c l o s i n g because t h e l a b o r f o r c e i s n o t p r o d u c t i v e . I am w r i t i n g t h i s l e t t e r t o end t h e s e unfounded rumors and s e t th e r e c o r d s t r a i g h t . C h r y s le r Cor poratio n i s i n d e s p e r a t e f i n a n c i a l s t r a i t s . TIME, NEWSWEEK, and t e l e v i s i o n news c i t e h i s t o r i c a l l y poor management and o b s o l e t e f a c i l i t i e s as th e cause of C h r y s l e r ' s demise. The J u l y 12 i s s u e o f TIME s t a t e s , " C h r y s l e r ' s huge unsold in v e n t o ry o f big a u to s could become th e a l b a t r o s s e s o f t h e g a s ! e s s summer o f ' 7 9 . " Hourly workers a t t h e Lyons Trim P l a n t ca nn ot be blamed f o r t h i s poor p la n n in g . L e t ' s look a t t h e f a c t s . The f a c t i s C h r y s le r has t o abandon a t r i m p l a n t because o f i t s d e s p e r a t e f i n a n c i a l r e t r e a t . The o t h e r two t r i m p l a n t s a r e big and have l a r g e , unused a r e a s . The Lyons Trim P l a n t i s small and crowded. The f a c t i s t h a t our jobs a r e going to Canada because Canada's n a t i o n a l h e a l t h c a r e c o s t s on ly a f r a c t i o n o f t h e amount o f our Blue Cro ss. The f a c t i s t h a t i f C h r y s le r reduced i t s p roductio n in Canada t h e Canadian government would reduce C h r y s l e r ' s r i g h t t o market i t s c a r s in Canada. The f a c t i s t h a t t h e Lyons Trim P l a n t l o s t a l l i t s work i n 1974; a l l o f i t came back because No One Could Match Our P e r ­ formance. The f a c t i s t h a t th e employees o f th e Lyons Trim P l a n t have an o u t s t a n d i n g r e c o r d f o r p r o d u c t i v i t y , q u a l i t y and low a b s en te eis m . No one t h a t has seen t h e r e c o r d s w i l l d i s p u t e t h i s . F a c t o r i e s in t h i s a r e a t h a t a r e h i r i n g new employees a r e g iv in g p r i o r i t y to workers from t h e Lyons P l a n t because th e y know th e c a l i b e r o f o u r p eople . C h r y s le r Corporation i s abandoning t h e c r i t i c a l s tr o n g h o l d because o f t h e d e s p e r a t i o n o f i t s f i n a n c i a l retreat. In n\y l i f e I have d r iv e n Dodge, Plymouth and C h r y s le r prod ucts e x c l u s i v e l y . I was r e c e n t l y i n t e r e s t e d i n purch as in g a s a i l b o a t from C h r y s le r Marine D i v i s i o n . My '76 Cordoba has 76,000 t r o u b l e f r e e miles on t h e odometer. I t i s a b e a u t i f u l c a r and I am very happy with i t . I t i s a l s o t h e l a s t C h r y s le r p r o duct I w i l l ev e r own. .This pro bably sounds b i t t e r . Well I AM b i t t e r , and so a r e about 1 ,000 people I know. We a r e l o s i n g our jo bs because of r e p e a t e d incompetence h i g h e r up t h e c o r p o r a t e l a d d e r . Workers a r e r e p e a t e d l y t o l d t h a t t h e y a r e t h e s t e p p i n g s to n e s o f th e econoniy. We a r e a l s o t h e f i r s t t o be s te ppe d o n . ' The q u o t a t i o n i s a p o r t i o n o f a l e t t e r w r i t t e n in th e Ionia S e n t in e l Standard s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g . John K l i n e , t h e 21 Prompted by t h e announcement t h a t C h r y s le r Corporation would c l o s e i t s t r i m p l a n t in Lyons, t h e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Com­ missio n (MESC) conducted a survey o f t h e workers . The i n fo r m a t io n g a th e r e d was in te n d e d to be used by s e r v i c e a g en cies working with t h e d i s p l a c e d wor ke rs . Table 4 c o n t a i n s a summary o f t h e r e s u l t s o f t h a t s urv ey. The Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission The United S t a t e s Employment S e r v i c e , a d i v i s i o n o f t h e United S t a t e s Department o f Labor, provid e s two major kinds o f s e r v i c e s . It provid e s manpower s e r v i c e s , and i t r e g i s t e r s and p r o c e ss e s t h e p a p e r ­ work f o r t h e unemployment i n s u r a n c e program. I t s o f f i c e in Michigan i s c a l l e d th e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission (MESC). The Commission's primary goal i s t o f i n d jobs f o r th e unemployed; i f i t i s unable to do t h i s , i t process es unemployment-insurance b e n e f i t s f o r them. The Employment S e r v ic e began i n 1933 with passage o f th e Wagner-Peyser Act and took on t h e r o l e o f o v e r s e e in g t h e unemployment i n s u r a n c e program in 1935 w ith t h e pa ssage o f t h e Social S e c u r i t y Ac t. Since i t s b e g i n n i n g , t h e Employment S e r v ic e has provided s t a t i s t i c a l i n f o r m a ti o n ab out t h e employed and unemployed i n t h e United S t a t e s . During t h e p a s t 20 y e a r s , t h e s e r v i c e has in c r e a s e d i t s e f f o r t s in th e placement r o l e through t h e development o f t e s t i n g and c o u n s e l i n g . a u t h o r , pro vid ed s u p p o r t and l e a d e r s h i p f o r f e l l o w workers du r in g t h e months immediately f ollow ing th e c l o s i n g . He was i n s t r u m e n t a l in a tte m p tin g t o b r in g o t h e r i n d u s t r i a l f ir m s t o Lyons. 22 Table 4 . —Summary o f C h r y s l e r q u e s t i o n n a i r e completed by l a i d - o f f workers r e g i s t e r e d a t I o n ia County. Questions 1. 74.3% 36.2 9.9 8.8 7. 8 2.9 1.9 No Yes No response 291 55 27 78.0% 14.7 7.2 21 to 40 miles 20 m ile s o r l e s s Over 40 miles No response 148 126 53 46 39.7% 33.8 14.2 12.3 139 134 119 107 87 21 19 37.3% 35.9 31.9 28.7 23.3 5.6 5.1 158 151 64 42.4% 40.5 17.2 What problems do you f e e l you w i l l have in finding another job?9 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. 5. 277 135 37 33 29 11 7 How f a r would you t r a v e l to work? A. B. C. D. 4. Seek a n o t h e r jo b in a r e a Unemployment Return t o school R elo ca te f o r a n o t h e r jo b E a rly r e t i r e m e n t Welfare Found a n o t h e r jo b Would you r e l o c a t e f o r work? A. B. C. 3. Percent What a r e y o u r plans as a r e s u l t o f l a y - o f f from C h r y s l e r c l o s i n g ? 9 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. 2. Number High wage e x p e c t a t i o n s Age Unwillingness t o r e l o c a t e Lack o f s k i l l Lack o f e d u c a t io n Physic al impairment Lack o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n Would you c o n s i d e r r e t u r n i n g to sc hool? A. B. C. Source: Yes No No respons e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission, Research and S t a t i s ­ t i c s D i v i s i o n , Area Labor Market Review: I o n ia County M ichigan , a r e p o r t pr ep are d by t h e O u t s t a t e Labor Market A n a ly s is Unit (August 1979), p. 6. aMore than one r espons e p o s s i b l e . 23 With t h e pa ssa ge o f t h e Area Redevelopment Act in 1961 and t h e Man­ power Development and T r a i n in g Act in 1962, e f f o r t s have been made t o a s s i s t t h e unemployed through s k i l l development and job t r a i n i n g . A broch ure from t h e I o n ia O f f i c e o f t h e MESC i n 1979 d e s c r i b e d i t s s e r v i c e s as f o ll o w s : The MESC o f f e r s v o c a tio n a l t e s t i n g , s e r v i c e s j o b o r d e r s , prov id e s people f o r work, r e f e r s t o a p p r o p r i a t e employers, f i l e s claims f o r unemployment b e n e f i t s , de termines and pays b e n e f i t s , provid e s v o c a ti o n a l c o u n s e l i n g , prov ides a p t i t u d e t e s t i n g {GATB and SATB), spon sors i n s t i t u t i o n a l o n - t h e - j o b t r a i n i n g , provide s s t a t i s t i c a l l a b o r market in f o r m a ti o n and p a r t i c i p a t e s in community s e r v i c e s . Most o f t h e l a i d - o f f Lyons C h r y s l e r workers went t o t h e I o n ia MESC o f f i c e f o r employment s e r v i c e s a n d / o r unemployment i n s u r a n c e b e n e f i t s . As t h e l o c a l arm o f t h e United S t a t e s Department o f Labor, t h i s o f f i c e was a l s o r e s p o n s i b l e f o r p r o c e s s i n g t h e Trade Adjustment A s s i s ta n c e program. Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e (TAA) i s t h e t i t l e o f a s e t o f f e d e r a l government b e n e f i t s t h a t workers may r e c e i v e i f t h e i r jobs have been a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t e d by f o r e i g n m arkets. These b e n e f i t s were o r i g i n a l l y e s t a b l i s h e d under t h e Kennedy A d m in is tr a t io n t o complement t h e Trade Expansion Act o f 1962. The primary i n t e n t i o n o f th e a c t was t o expand t r a d e w i th o t h e r c o u n t r i e s ; th e a s s i s t a n c e p o r t i o n o f the a c t was added t o p r o t e c t American workers who became unemployed o r underemployed because o f i n c r e a s e d im p o r t s . R estrictive e lig ib ility lan guage, however, made i t d i f f i c u l t f o r p o t e n t i a l r e c i p i e n t s to receive b e n e fits. 24 The Trade Act o f 1974 made minor changes i n t h e 1962 l e g i s l a ­ t i o n , expanded b e n e f i t s , and improved a c c e s s t o t h e b e n e f i t s . Under t h i s a c t , which i s s t i l l in e f f e c t , workers who f e e l t h e i r unemploy­ ment was caused by f o r e i g n com p e t iti o n can f i l e a p e t i t i o n with t h e Department o f Labor t o determ ine t h e i r e l i g i b i l i t y f o r b e n e f i t s . The Department o f Labor then de termines i f in c r e a s e d imports c o n t r i b u t e d to t h e a c t u a l o r t h r e a t e n e d unemployment o r underemployment o f workers and a d e c l i n e i n s a l e s o r pr o d u ctio n o f t h e f i r m o r s u b d i v i s i o n employ­ ing t h e p e t i t i o n e r s . I f th ey f i n d t h e cl aim t o be j u s t i f i e d , they e s t a b l i s h an impact d a t e (a d a t e a f t e r which b e n e f i t s a r e e f f e c t i v e ) and c e r t i f y t h e cl a im . The Department o f Labor i s then r e q u i r e d to pro v id e f u l l i n f o r m a t io n ab out b e n e f i t s to t h e a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t e d workers. An i n d i v i d u a l who b e l i e v e s h e / s h e i s e l i g i b l e may apply f o r Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e a t any s t a t e unemployment s e r v i c e o f f i c e . TAA in c l u d e s t r a d e - r e a d j u s t m e n t a llo w a n c e s , t r a i n i n g and t r a i n i n g a llo w a n c e s , j o b - s e a r c h allo w a n c e s , r e l o c a t i o n all o w a n c e s , and employ­ ment s e r v i c e s . To be e l i g i b l e f o r t h e s e b e n e f i t s , a worker must be covered by a c e r t i f i e d p e t i t i o n , have been l a i d o f f because o f lack o f work, have been l a i d o f f on o r a f t e r th e impact d a t e s e t by t h e TAA o f f i c e , and have had a t l e a s t 26 weeks o f employment a t wages o f $30 or more a week with a s i n g l e f i r m o r s u b d i v i s i o n o f a f ir m in th e 52 weeks immediately prec ed ing such t o t a l o r p a r t i a l s e p a r a t i o n ( Federal R e g i s t e r , A pril 11, 1975). When th e C h r y s l e r Trim P l a n t c l o s e d , a worker a t th e p l a n t composed a l e t t e r o f a p p l i c a t i o n f o r TAA b e n e f i t s , s ec ure d th e 25 n e c e s s a r y s i g n a t u r e s , and s e n t t h e l e t t e r t o P r e s i d e n t C a r t e r . The P r e s i d e n t ' s s t a f f forwarded th e l e t t e r t o th e Department o f Labor, where i t ended up i n th e O f f i c e o f Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e . The D i r e c t o r o f t h a t O f f i c e responded t o t h e l e t t e r , i n d i c a t i n g t h a t he had r e c e i v e d t h e corresp on dence and t h a t i t had been o f f i c i a l l y r ec orded as a duly f i l e d p e t i t i o n . At t h e t i m e , th e O f f ic e was i n v e s ­ t i g a t i n g more than 5,000 s i m i l a r p e t i t i o n s . In mid-August 1979, th e former employees r e c e i v e d news t h a t app ro xima tely 750 o f them were e l i g i b l e under TAA. (See Appendix A.) A D e t r o i t Free Press a r t i c l e d e s c r i b e d t h e announcement: S p ecial b e n e f i t s w i l l mean a t l e a s t a temporary r e p r i e v e from d i s a s t e r f o r Lyons (pop. 80 0 ) , a t i n y , r u r a l community between Lansing and I o n ia where, f o r n e a r l y 15 y e a r s , t h e t h i r d l a r g e s t automaker had been t h e only major employer. Those workers l a i d o f f s i n c e February 1 , 1979, who meet b a s i c e l i g i b i l i t y r e q u i r e ­ ments w i l l r e c e i v e more than tw ice t h e usual b e n e f i t s f o r more than tw ice t h e normal period i n a d d i t i o n t o s p e c i a l allowances f o r jo b s e a r c h e s , r e l o c a t i o n expenses and jo b t r a i n i n g . "The people a r e r e a l l y happy," s a i d John Devers, 3 0 - y e a r o l d p r e s i d e n t o f UAW Local 1424 who, w i th o t h e r workers a t th e p l a n t , a p p l i e d f o r t h e s p e c i a l a s s i s t a n c e . "Everyone was r e a l l y b i t t e r b e f o r e because we d i d n ' t t h i n k we would g e t i t , " he s a i d . Extra b e n e f i t s w i l l give everyone "a l i t t l e more time to t h i n k about what t h e y ' r e going t o do with t h e i r l i f e , " Devers s a i d . "And time t o look f o r t h e kind o f j o b they would be i n t e r ­ e s t e d i n , " he added. Basic b e n e f i t s w i l l equal about 70% o f a w o r k e r ' s average weekly s a l a r y , up t o a maximum o f $250 a week. That w i l l l a s t 52 weeks. For t h o s e who a r e more than 60 y e a r s o ld o r a r e involved in r e t r a i n i n g programs, t h e r e i s a p o s s i b i l i t y o f an extension. MESC a l s o w i l l pay 80% o f a l l " r e a s o n a b le c o s t " up t o $500, i n c u r r e d in t h e s e a rc h f o r a n o t h e r j o b . With th e p r i c e o f gaso­ l i n e , t h i s b e n e f i t means a l o t t o Lyons people who have t o look i n Lansing o r Grand R a p i d s , —both 40 m il es away—f o r j o b s with comparable wages and b e n e f i t s . Those who f i n d j o b s i n o t h e r towns w i l l be a b l e t o c o l l e c t a $500 lump sum plus 80% o f r e l o c a t i o n expe ns es . And MESC w i l l reimburse workers who go back t o school f o r new jo b t r a i n i n g . Devers s a i d he, l i k e many o t h e r s a t t h e p l a n t , i s p lanning t o t a k e c l a s s e s a t a l o c a l community c o l l e g e . ( D e t r o i t Free P r e s s , August 14, 1979) 26 Montcalm Community College Montcalm Community C o l le g e , a small r u r a l community c o l l e g e , was e s t a b l i s h e d in March 1965 by a v o te o f t h e Montcalm I n te r m e d ia t e School D i s t r i c t . S i t u a t e d about one mile e a s t o f Sidney , Michigan, the campus i s n e a r th e geographic c e n t e r o f Montcalm County. Since i t s i n c e p t i o n , t h e c o l l e g e has serv ed th e people in i t s seven c o n s t i t u ­ e n t school d i s t r i c t s (Carson C i t y - C r y s t a l , C en tr al Montcalm, Green­ v i l l e , Lakeview, M on ta be ll a, Tr i- C o u n ty , and Vestaburg) and many people from d i s t r i c t s su rr ounding t h e c o unty , such as Bel d i n g , I o n i a , and Saranac in I o nia County. As shown i n Figure 3, t h e c o l l e g e i s l o c a t e d n o r th and west o f Lyons, Michigan; t h e d i s t a n c e from Lyons t o Sidney i s app ro xima tely 27 m i l e s . Montcalm Community College Alma I onia Grand Rapids •V Alma Stanton Sidney Rd Greenville Grand Rapids SIDNEY Ionia Lyons Kalamazoo Chicago Laming Fig ure 3 . —Location o f Montcalm Community C olle ge. 31 mi 20 mi 40 mi 27 Of t h e 29 community c o l l e g e s in Michigan, Montcalm ranks about tw e n ty - se v e n th in s i z e . Fall e n r o llm e n ts from 1969 through 1979 a r e given below: Fal l Semester 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Enrollment 756 800 665 892 1,110 1,009 1,196 1,242 1,257 1,509 1,650 In 1978-79, app rox imate ly t w o - t h i r d s o f t h e s t u d e n t body were r e s i ­ den ts (from t h e seven Montcalm school d i s t r i c t s ) , s l i g h t l y more than 50 p e r c e n t were f e m a l e s , and th e average age was around 27. The m iss ion o f t h e c o l l e g e i s d e f i n e d as meeting t h e educa­ t i o n a l needs o f a r e a c i t i z e n s . The i n s t i t u t i o n a l g o a l s , as o u t l i n e d in t h e 1979-80 c a t a l o g , a r e : —to provid e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r l i b e r a l a r t s , s c ie n c e s and t e c h n i c a l s tu d y a t th e freshman and sophomore l e v e l s t r a n s f e r a b l e t o o t h e r c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s and a c c e p t a b l e toward a b a c c a l a u r e a t e d egree, - - t o pr ovid e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r v o c a tio n a l and t e c h n i c a l s tudy lead in g to o ccupati onal competence f o r t h e new l e a r n e r and f o r th e person d e s i r i n g r e t r a i n i n g o r upgrading s k i l l s , —to pr ovid e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r general e d u c a tio n f o r th o s e who study p r i m a r i l y t o become more knowledgeable o r s k i l l e d in an a r e a o f interest, —t o pro v id e a s s i s t a n c e f o r a l l s t u d e n t s through e d u c a t io n a l coun­ s e l i n g and guidance s e r v i c e s , —t o pro v id e a c e n t e r and r e s o u r c e s f o r community s e r v i c e s (educa­ t i o n a l , r e c r e a t i o n a l , and c u l t u r a l ) , —t o pro v id e an o p p o r tu n i t y f o r or g a n iz e d a c t i v i t i e s t o promote s o c i a l s k i l l s and r e s p o n s i b l e c i t i z e n s h i p , - - t o pr ov ide e d u c a t i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p through t h e promotion o f coop­ e r a t i o n between a r e a o r g a n i z a t i o n s and i n s t i t u t i o n s . 28 The c u r ric u lu m in c lu d e s t r a n s f e r coursework, o c c u p a ti o n a l t r a i n i n g , and c l a s s e s f o r per so nal development and enric hm ent. Stu­ dents who complete d e s i g n a te d programs o f study can r e c e i v e c e r t i f i ­ c a t e s o f completion o r a s s o c i a t e degrees i n a r t s and s c i e n c e , in a p p l i e d a r t s and s c i e n c e , o r i n gener al s t u d i e s . The c o l l e g e o f f e r s c e r t i f i c a t e s o f completion i n t o o l - a n d - d i e a p p r e n t i c e s h i p , automotive mainten an ce , a v i a t i o n m aintenance, c l e r k t y p i n g , cosme tology, p r a c t i ­ cal n u r s i n g , r e s i d e n t i a l c o n s t r u c t i o n , s te n o g r a p h y , and wel ding. It o f f e r s a p p l i e d a r t s and s c i e n c e degrees in a c c o u n t i n g , automotive mainten an ce , b u s in e s s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , e x e c u t i v e s e c r e t a r i a l , and r e g is te r e d nursing. As in most o t h e r community c o l l e g e s , a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i s s t r u c ­ t u r e d ac c o r d in g t o c o l l e g e f u n c t i o n s . The i n s t r u c t i o n a l programs a r e div id e d i n t o l i b e r a l a r t s , n u r s i n g e d u c a t i o n , oc c u p a ti o n a l e d u c a t i o n , and p r i s o n e d u c a t i o n . These a r e a s a r e complemented by community s e r ­ v i c e s , l i b r a r y s e r v i c e s , and s t u d e n t s e r v i c e s . Although personnel from a l l o f t h e s e d i v i s i o n s knew and had c o n t a c t with t h e TAA p a r ­ t i c i p a n t s , th e s t u d e n t - s e r v i c e s and o c c u p a t i o n a l - e d u c a t i o n d i v i s i o n s were most d i r e c t l y i n v o l v e d —t h e s t u d e n t - s e r v i c e s d i v i s i o n because t h e D i r e c t o r o f Admissions s erv ed on th e community-service co u n c il f o r two y e a r s and t h e o c c u p a tio n a l d i v i s i o n because each TAA s t u d e n t was ad m it ted i n t o a s p e c i f i c a r e a o f o c c u p a ti o n a l t r a i n i n g . I t is f a i r l y easy f o r s t u d e n t s a t t h e community c o l l e g e t o become a c q u a in te d with t h e small number o f p r o f e s s i o n a l s t a f f members—22 f a c u l t y members and 12 a d m i n i s t r a t o r s . 29 Montcalm Community C olleg e has had e x p e r ie n c e i n h e l p i n g when communities d i s p l a y s p e c i a l needs. In t h e e a r l y 1970s, a c a r e e r - c o u n s e lin g c e n t e r was dev elope d, emphasizing t h e c o u n s e lin g o f t hose who had been away from school f o r a number o f y e a r s . At t h a t same t i m e , coursework was s t a r t e d f o r inmates i n t h e I o n ia p r i s o n . Known as t h e College O p p ortunit y P ris on Extension Program, t h i s s e r v i c e has been re co gnized a t t h e s t a t e and n a t i o n a l l e v e l s f o r i t s c o n t r i b u t i o n to inmate r e h a b i l i t a t i o n . In t h e mid-1970s, under t h e Manpower Development and T r a in in g Act program and l a t e r under t h e a u s p ic e s o f th e Comprehensive Employment T r a in in g Act, Montcalm Community College provided numerous s p e c i a l t r a i n i n g programs t o meet t h e needs o f th e unemployed and underemployed o f Montcalm and I onia Counties . In a d d i t i o n t o academic and oc c u p a tio n a l coursew ork, t h e c o l l e g e , p r o v i d e s v a r io u s s e r v i c e s f o r s t u d e n t s and community members. S t u d e n t s e r v i c e s o f f e r s t e s t i n g , i . e . , th e American C ollege T e s t , High School Eq uivalen cy, and c a r e e r - o r i e n t e d i n t e r e s t s u r v e y s ; c a r e e r c o u n s e lin g and program ad vise m ent; and j o b -p la c e m e n t a s s i s t a n c e f o r t h o s e s eeking employment. The d e v e l o p m e n t a l - s k i l l s c e n t e r pr ovides i n d i v i d u a l i z e d i n s t r u c t i o n i n b a s i c m athem atics, re a d in g and w r i t i n g s k i l l s , and t u t o r i a l s e r v i c e s . The community-service s t a f f makes arrangements f o r c r e d i t o r n o n c r e d i t coursework and f o r s e m i n a r s , workshops, o r l e c t u r e s f o r s p e c i a l groups e i t h e r on o r o f f campus. Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Council A d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e Lyons C h r y s l e r P l a n t c l o s i n g and s u b s e ­ quen t a c t i v i t i e s con ce rn in g th e former employees would n o t be complete 30 w i t h o u t a d i s c u s s i o n o f th e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Co unci l. This C o u n c il , or g a n iz e d under th e l e a d e r s h i p o f Mel Haga, D i r e c t o r o f th e Ionia County Department o f Social S e r v i c e s , began working with C h r y s le r employees i n June 1979. Minutes o f th e June 19 meeting s t a t e d , "The purpose o f t h i s meeting was t o l e t t h e employees o f t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Trim P l a n t know t h a t o u r a g en cies a r e a v a i l a b l e to s e r v e t h e i r need s. Mr. Haga s t a t e d t h a t he se es t h i s committee l a s t i n g a t l e a s t a y e a r o r more to he lp s erv e t h e s e people who w i l l be l o s i n g th e ir jobs." Agencies r e p r e s e n t e d a t t h e i n i t i a l meetings in cluded t h e I on ia County Department o f Social S e r v i c e s , t h e Michigan Employ­ ment S e c u r i t y Commission, t h e Work I n c e n t i v e Program, Ionia County Mental Health Department, Bureau o f R e h a b i l i t a t i o n , County Commis­ s i o n e r s , S t a t e S e n a to r V a n d e r l a a n 's o f f i c e , Community Action Program, United Auto Workers, Michigan United Labor Community S e r v i c e s , Mont­ calm Community C o l le g e , F i r s t S e c u r i t y Bank, I o n ia County E x te n s i o n , I o n ia County S e n t i n e l S ta n d a r d , I onia Lakewood and P o r t l a n d Adult E duc ation, and t h e I o n ia Chamber o f Commerce. People from each o f t h e s e age nci es were asked to b r in g b o o k le t s o r o t h e r w r i t t e n m a t e r i a l s d e s c r i b i n g t h e i r a g e n c y ' s s e r v i c e s so t h a t a d i r e c t o r y o f s e r v i c e s could be developed. At t h e June 29, 1979, m eetin g , t h e Council began t o e s t a b l i s h a s t r u c t u r e by i d e n t i f y i n g a s t e e r i n g committee and a p p o i n t i n g members to committees on e d u c a t i o n ; manpower; lo n g -ter m economic development; and h e a l t h , r e c r e a t i o n , and f am il y s e r v i c e s . Each committee was asked t o m eet, o r g a n i z e , and r e p o r t back t o th e Council. 31 By m i d - J u l y , t h e Council was o p e r a t i n g very a c t i v e l y and effectively. The former employees, i n c o n ju n c ti o n with t h e s e r v i c e - agency p e r s o n n e l , came t o th e Council t o communicate, t o p l a n , and t o make d e c i s i o n s . Three former employees and members o f t h e Council began s e r v i n g as co u n s e lo rs f o r t h e o t h e r a f f e c t e d employees; they provided a key l i n k with t h e d i s p l a c e d wor kers. During t h e summer of 1979, meetings were he ld on a weekly o r biweekly b a s i s , depending on th e immediate i s s u e s . In August, in an e f f o r t t o expand communication, t h e s t e e r i n g co nm it tee e s t a b l i s h e d a n e w s l e t t e r , which was s e n t t o a l l t h e former C h r y s le r P l a n t workers and members o f th e Community S e r v ic e Cou ncil. Five i s s u e s o f th e n e w s l e t t e r have been p u b li sh ed s i n c e t h a t tim e. Meetings o f th e Council became monthly i n f a l l 1979. The Council o p e r a t e d under t h e o r i g i n a l t i t l e u n t i l summer 1980, when i t became t h e Ionia County Community S e r v ic e s Cou ncil. I t has continued t o meet once a month and, as o f s p r i n g 1982, s e r v e s not only t h e C h r y s l e r P l a n t v i c t i m s b u t a l s o o t h e r s i n t h e county who have s o c i a l s e r v i c e needs. Because o f i t s su c c e ss in b r in g i n g focus t o t h e problems and p o t e n t i a l s o l u t i o n s f o r t h o s e who l o s t t h e i r C h r y s le r j o b s , t h e Coun­ c i l has co ntinued t o be i m p o r ta n t to t h e former employees. Through Council m i n u t e s , one can f o llo w t h e c o n c e r n s , t h e h o p es , t h e d e s p a i r , and t h e p e r s i s t e n c e o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers and l o c a l s e r v i c e agen­ cies. One can a l s o o b s erv e t h e emerging r e l a t i o n s h i p between MESC, t h e community c o l l e g e , and t h e program p a r t i c i p a n t s . Excerpts from Council minutes from June 1979 th rough December 1980 f o ll o w . 32 The Council had many concerns about th e f u t u r e o f t h e ex C h r y s le r employees: June 19, 1979: F inancial concerns o f t h e s e workers a r e o f g r e a t concern t o th e a g e n c i e s . There w i l l be a l o s s o f s a v i n g s , f r i n g e b e n e f i t s w i l l no l o n g e r b e , payments on mortgage, c a r s , e t c . and a l o t o f people w i l l end up having p r o p e r t y r e p o s s e s s e d . Personal problems a r e a l s o a g r e a t co nce rn . I n d i c a t i o n s t h a t h elp was a v a i l a b l e o c c a s i o n a l l y r a i s e d th e hopes o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers: J u l y 3: Mr. Timmons, chairman o f t h e manpower committee, r e p o r t e d t h a t h i s committee had met and d i s c u s s e d a t r a d e s r e a d j u s t m e n t p e t i t i o n 1 which had been s e n t t o t h e Department o f Labor which could mean some a d d i t i o n a l funding t o MESC. Mrs. P e r r y , from MESC, i n d i c a t e d t h a t C h r y s le r had sig n ed t h e p e t i t i o n on June 26th and, i f approved, i t would mean some supplemental funds t o people who q u a l i f y . J u l y 19: Employee su rvey s (IJ=31) showed t h a t t h e major t o p i c s o f concern a t t h e moment a r e : (1) h e a l t h i n s u r a n c e programs, (2) employment a l t e r n a t i v e , (3) l i f e i n s u r a n c e , (4) r e t u r n i n g t o s c h o o l , (5) CETA and o t h e r employment programs. [ I t was s t a t e d t h a t ] Montcalm Community College w i l l be a c l e a r i n g h o u s e f o r q ues ­ t i o n s on e d u c a t i o n . Committee plans t o a s s i s t with c a r e e r coun­ s e l i n g , f i n a n c i a l a i d , s k i l l s t r a i n i n g , e t c . in c o n j u n c t io n with a d u l t ed. and o t h e r r e l e v a n t a g e n c i e s . Accepting th e grim f a c t s o f t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g was d i f f i c u l t , and many p r e f e r r e d t o deny th e r e a l i t y as long as p o s s i b l e : August 2: Those s t i l l involved a t t h e p l a n t f e e l workers a r e i n a "h olding p a t t e r n , " s t i l l holding on t o rumors t h e p l a n t w o n ' t c l o s e , and a r e not ready t o look f o r work. p August 23: 750 people f i l e d f o r b e n e f i t s . TAA b e n e f i t s i n c l u d e : (1) j o b placement s e r v i c e s , (2) on th e j o b t r a i n i n g s e r v i c e s , ^A C h r y s le r employee o r i g i n a t e d and developed th e p e t i t i o n . 2 I t should be noted t h a t t h e s e r v i c e a g en cies and p a r t i c i p a n t s used th e acronym TRA th ro u g h o u t t h e t r a i n i n g program to r e f e r t o a l l th e b e n e f i t s under t h e Trade Act o f 1974. In f a c t , TRA (Trade Read­ j u s t m e n t Allowances) was but one b e n e f i t , a weekly a ll o w a n c e , under t h e b r o a d e r TAA b e n e f i t s . 33 (3) v o c a t io n a l t r a i n i n g , (4) r e l o c a t i o n a ll o w a n c e s , (5) job s earc h allowan ce . Every employee who f i l e s f o r TAA completes a survey which t a p s i n t e r e s t i n t h e d i f f e r e n t TAA b e n e f i t s . . . . John Kline has had a meeting with r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e Department o f Labor r e g a r d i n g House B i l l 4119 which pr ovide s f o r employee p l a n t t a k e o v e r s . A man with a h e l i c o p t e r p l a n t in a n o t h e r s t a t e wants to expand and may be i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e p l a n t h e r e . October 18: Sam S e l l a s a i d t h a t Doug F r a s e r , P r e s i d e n t o f t h e UAW, who i s n e g o t i a t i n g with C h r y s l e r , was t o l d by Iacocca and O'Brien t h a t th ey have no plans f o r t h e Lyons p l a n t . . . . A f t e r November th e Union Hall w i l l no l o n g e r be a v a i l a b l e t o us o r th e c o u n s e l o r s . By mid-November 1979, many o f th e former C h r y s le r workers had decided t o a t t e n d Montcalm Community C o lleg e: November 13: Tim Vanaman s t a t e d t h a t 88 employees w i l l be r e c e i v ­ ing t r a i n i n g i n Jan ua ry through Montcalm Community C o lle g e —i t ' s i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o te t h a t th e 88 people r e p r e s e n t t h e e n t i r e t y o f t h o s e who a p p l i e d f o r t r a i n i n g . Jan ua ry 10: Counselors r e p o r t t h a t most q u e s ti o n s th e y r e c e i v e invo lv ed TAA and t r a i n i n g a l lo w a n c e s , workmen's comp, in su r a n c e and p e n s io n s . Many workers a r e running o u t o f company-paid BC/BS cover age. . . . Mike Turnbull r e p o r t e d t h a t ov er 100 C h r y s l e r Lyons workers a r e e n r o l l e d a t Montcalm Community College--some t r a i n e e s w i l l need s u p p o r t t o a d j u s t t o c o l l e g e l i f e . The Council i s impressed with th e way t h e MESC and Montcalm Community College have a s s i s t e d th e workers t o make use o f t r a i n i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s . Many months a f t e r t h e p l a n t was permanently c l o s e d , some workers were s t i l l w a i t i n g and hoping f o r a re opening: March 18: Mr. Haga r e c e i v e d a resp onse from Iacocca s t a t i n g C h r y s l e r has no plan s t o r e a c t i v a t e t h e Lyons Trim P l a n t . He w i l l have i t p u b li s h e d i n t h e S e n ti n e l and Council N e w s le t te r in an e f f o r t t o g e t e x - C h r y s l e r workers t o f a c e up t o r e a l i t y . Jane Beaman e s t i m a t e s 20-30 c a l l s p e r month r e g a r d in g p l a n t re-o p en in g ru mor s. By s p r i n g 1980, s i g n s o f d e s p a i r were becoming a p p a r e n t : May 20: We a l l agr eed t h e p i c t u r e i s becoming very b l e a k . Jane and Mary [ c o u n s e l o r s ] s a i d t h a t everyone i s very t e n s e and they can see peo ple who were once t a l k a t i v e and o u t - g o i n g becoming q u i e t and withdrawn. June 17: Jane and Mary r e p o r t e d an i n c r e a s i n g amount o f c o n t a c t s r e g a rd in g per so nal problems, p a r t i c u l a r l y m ental/em otional h e a l t h , 34 d r i n k i n g , c h i l d and spouse verbal a b u s e , s t r e s s due t o l a c k o f money to pay b i l l s , p h y s ic a l h e a l t h problems, l o n e l i n e s s . People a r e beginning t o f e e l t h a t t h e r e i s no hope, no way o u t . Very few have l o c a t e d jobs and t h e ge ner al economic s i t u a t i o n looks i n c r e a s i n g l y poor. August 20: Mary, Jane and Susan s a i d t h e y ' r e g e t t i n g about 20 new c a l l s a week, mostly q u e s ti o n s on sub pay and BC/BS. They have r e c e i v e d some c a l l s from people whose spouses have l e f t them. By f a l l 1980, with t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g a confirmed f a c t , t h e Council began t o focus on some means o f broad-based economic d ev e lo p ­ ment: October 22: We wonder i f t h e 200 people who a r e f i n i s h i n g up TRA t r a i n i n g programs in December w i l l be a b l e t o f i n d j o b s , given c u r r e n t j o b market c o n d i t i o n s . MESC w i l l be doing jo b development b u t i t w o n ' t be ea s y . Maybe o u r focus should be h e l p i n g t o a t t r a c t employers t o I o n ia County. Jobs a r e th e answer. We e i t h e r need to g e t new jo b s i n he r e o r t o r e l o c a t e people . November 19: MESC: Mary Munger r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e m a j o r i t y o f C h r y s l e r people have drawn a l l t h e i r b e n e f i t s u n l e s s th ey a r e s t i l l i n TRA t r a i n i n g programs. December 17: Meeting c o n c e n t r a t e d on th e t o p i c o f EDC's [Economic Development C o r p o r a tio n ] e s p e c i a l l y on a county-wide b a s i s s e r v i n g as an umbrella EDC f o r a l l th e o t h e r s c u r r e n t l y in e x i s t e n c e . The t o p i c t h a t r e c e i v e d t h e most a t t e n t i o n du rin g 1981 was economic development. The Council was i n s t r u m e n t a l and s u c c e s s f u l in urg in g t h e I o n ia County commissioners t o ap ply f o r an Economic Development C o r p o r atio n g r a n t t o encourage countywide economic de v e lo p ­ ment. Summary o f t h e S e t t i n g The C h r y s le r P l a n t i n Lyons, Michigan, was an a t t r a c t i v e work s e t t i n g f o r i t s 900 r u r a l employees. Paying high wages and s u b s t a n ­ t i a l f r i n g e b e n e f i t s , i t r e p r e s e n t e d an e x c e l l e n t employment o p p o r t u n i t y . 35 The l o c a l economy was t h e r e f o r e soundly a f f e c t e d by C h r y s le r Cor­ p o r a t i o n ' s d e c i s i o n t o c l o s e i t s Lyons p l a n t . Serving th e l a r g e number o f unemployed workers p r e s e n t e d a monumental t a s k f o r t h e l o c a l MESC o f f i c e and f o r th e nearby small r u r a l community c o l l e g e . Each o f t h e s e ag en ci es was accustomed to responding t o conmunity needs and immediately became th e p l a n t c l o s i n g was announced. in v o l v e d when I n d i v i d u a l l y and c o l l e c t i v e l y * they began t o work on s o l u t i o n s to r e s o l v e t h e massive l a y o f f problem. Although t h e s e a g en cie s had co op erated with each o t h e r in t h e p a s t , t h e magnitude o f the p l a n t c l o s i n g bro u g h t them c l o s e r t o g e t h e r . With t h e s u p p o r t o f TAA monies, MESC and Montcalm Community College provided s e r v i c e s and t r a i n i n g f o r 150 e x - C h r y s l e r workers . D e f i n i t i o n o f Terms The f o ll o w in g terms and acronyms a r e de f in e d i n t h e c o n t e x t in which th ey a r e used in t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n . E m i £ - - d e s c r i p t i o n s from th e vie wpo in t o f t h e in form ant. E t i c —d e s c r i p t i o n s from t h e vie wp oint o f the observer. MESC—Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission. P a r t i c i p a n t s —e x - C h r y s l e r employees who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community C ollege w it h t h e s u p p o rt o f TAA b e n e f i t s between August 1979 and December 1981. P r o p o s i t i o n s —s t a t e m e n t s ab ou t i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s among concepts. TAA—Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e : b e n e f i t s such as t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t allo w a n c e s , t r a i n i n g and t r a i n i n g a l l o w a n c e s , j o b - s e a r c h 36 a l l o w a n c e s , r e l o c a t i o n all o w a n c e s , employment s e r v i c e s , and any o t h e r b e n e f i t s provided f o r workers a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t e d by i n c r e a s e d im p o rts . TRA-- t r a d e - r e a d j u s t m e n t a ll o w a n c e s : weekly allowances payable t o workers a d v e r s e l y a f f e c t e d by i n c r e a s e d i m p o r t s , one o f a number o f TAA b e n e f i t s . Overview In t h i s c h a p t e r , t h e problem has been p r e s e n t e d , t h e purpose and importance o f t h e study d i s c u s s e d , t h e r e s e a r c h approach s e t f o r t h , l i m i t a t i o n s o f t h e s tu d y i d e n t i f i e d , and t h e s e t t i n g o f th e s tudy described. Previous r e s e a r c h i s p r e s e n t e d in Chap ter I I . Ten s t u d i e s fo c u s in g on p l a n t c l o s i n g s and d i s p l a c e d workers a r e d i s c u s s e d , and t h e i r c o n c lu s io n s a r e summarized. Three examples o f community-college resp o n s es f o llo w i n g p l a n t c l o s i n g s a r e p r e s e n t e d , and recommendations f o r improved s e r v i c e s a r e given. In Chapter I I I , th e r e s e a r c h approach used in t h i s study i s explained. The i n v e s t i g a t o r d i s c u s s e s how he chose t h e p a r t i c u l a r methodology used in th e s t u d y . The p o p u la t io n o f t h e s t u d y , th e d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n p r o c e d u r e s , and t h e methods o f d a ta a n a l y s i s a r e d e s c r i b e d . In a d d i t i o n , t h e p r o p o s i t i o n s and r e s e a r c h q u e s ti o n s posed in th e stu d y a r e s e t f o r t h . Ch apter IV c o n t a i n s an a n a l y s i s o f r e s u l t s from t h e s tu d y . In clud ed a r e d e s c r i p t i o n s o f t h e go als and e x p e c t a t i o n s f o r th e t r a i n i n g , as viewed by t h o s e invo lv ed in t h e TAA program (MESC, Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) , what happened and how i t happened, and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes. P a rtic ip a n ts ' reactions 37 t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s , t h e i r e d u c a t i o n a l achievem ent, t h e i r c u r r e n t employment s t a t u s , and t h e i r p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t s a r e also presented. Included in t h e a n a l y s i s a r e d e s c r i p t i o n s o f common and c o n f l i c t i n g e x p e c t a t i o n s o f t h e ag encie s and th e p a r t i c i p a n t s , th e i n v e s t i g a t o r ' s view o f what happened and how i t happened, the dis c r e p a n c y between t h e way c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s were provided and t h e way p a r t i c i p a n t s th ought th e y should have been p r o v id e d , and a s e r i e s o f s t a t i s t i c a l proce du re s used t o t e s t t h e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s and e i g h t re la te d questions. The f i f t h c h a p t e r c o n t a i n s a summary and recommendations. Based on t h e outcome o f t h e s t u d y , t h e w r i t e r makes recommendations conc er ning f u t u r e t r a i n i n g programs and s u g g e sts f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h on p l a n t c l o s i n g s and community-college t r a i n i n g . CHAPTER I I REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE P l a n t Clos ings and D isplac ed Workers The primary focus o f t h i s p o r t i o n o f th e review o f th e l i t ­ e r a t u r e i s on p l a n t - c l o s i n g i n f o r m a t i o n . However, r e f e r e n c e i s a l s o made t o r e s e a r c h on d i s p l a c e d workers because o f i t s p e r t i n e n c e to t h i s study. The i n v e s t i g a t o r d e s c r i b e s , i n c h r o n o l o g ic a l o r d e r , s t u d i e s un der taken dur in g t h e 1960s, 1970s, and 1980. The E f f e c t o f Technological Change Concerned ab ou t t h e need f o r b e t t e r methods o f d e a l i n g wit h d i s p l a c e d w o r k e rs , Haber, Ferman, and Hudson (1963) reviewed f o u r c e n t r a l r e s e a r c h a r e a s and p r e s e n t e d a comprehensive r e p o r t . c o n s id e re d t h e f o llo w i n g f o u r t o p i c s : They (1) t h e f a c t o r s a f f e c t i n g reemployment o f d i s p l a c e d w o r k e rs , (2) t h e proce ss o f f i n d i n g a j o b , (3) t h e m o b i l i t y o f d i s p l a c e d w o r k e rs , and (4) t h e economic and non­ economic consequences o f j o b d is p la c e m e n t. Based on t h e f i n d i n g s from 17 j o b - d i s p l a c e m e n t s t u d i e s con­ ducted between 1929 and 1961, t h e a u th o r s f orm ulated a s e r i e s o f e m p i ric a l p r o p o s i t i o n s . Some o f t h e i r p r o p o s i t i o n s were t h a t o l d e r workers f i n d reemployment l e s s r e a d i l y than younger w o r k e rs ; t h a t d i s p l a c e d men o b t a i n new j o b s more q u ic k ly than d i s p l a c e d women because o f d i f f e r e n c e s in a ttach m en t t o th e l a b o r f o r c e and because 38 39 o f c e r t a i n d isa d v a n ta g e s in h i r i n g women, as seen by employers; t h a t l e s s - e d u c a t e d d i s p l a c e d workers f i n d reemployment more d i f f i c u l t than d i s p l a c e d workers with a h i g h e r le v e l o f e d u c a t i o n ; and, with some q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , t h a t d i s p l a c e d workers with high s e n i o r i t y f a r e no b e t t e r in t h e j o b market than d i s p l a c e d workers with low s e n i o r i t y . Results from t h e 17 s t u d i e s provided sound documentation f o r th e f i r s t p r o p o s i t i o n conc er ning a g e , s u b s t a n t i a t e d th e second p r o p o s i ­ t i o n co ncerning s e x , tended t o confirm t h e t h i r d p r o p o s i t i o n con c e r n ­ ing e d u c a t i o n , and provided some evidence t o s u p p o r t t h e f o u r t h propo­ s i t i o n conc er ning s e n i o r i t y . The a u t h o r s a l s o r e p o r t e d t h a t r e t r a i n i n g had not been emphasized as a s o l u t i o n in th e r e s e a r c h . They i n d i c a t e d t h a t when r e t r a i n i n g had been in c lu d e d as an o p t i o n , namely with th e ex-Armour Company workers i n Oklahoma Ci ty i n 1961, t h e r e s u l t s had not been enco urag in g. On th e s u r f a c e , t h e r e s u l t s o f r e t r a i n i n g p r o ­ grams appeared t o be poor. Because o f t h e l a c k o f s u f f i c i e n t i n f o r ­ mation in t h i s a r e a , t h e a u t h o r s i n d i c a t e d t h a t f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h was c l e a r l y needed. Case S tu d ies In 1964, t h e Bureau o f Labor S t a t i s t i c s conducted f i v e cas e s t u d i e s t o gai n an u n d e r sta n d in g o f t h e e f f e c t s o f p l a n t c l o s i n g s o r major l a y o f f s on d i s p l a c e d workers . ing i n d u s t r i e s : The p l a n t s were from t h e f o l l o w ­ petrole um r e f i n i n g , automotive equipment, g l a s s j a r s , f l o o r c o v e r i n g s , and i r o n f o u n d r i e s . The l a y o f f s , which took p la c e between J u l y 1960 and June 1962, a f f e c t e d n e a r l y 3,000 w or k ers . The s p e c i f i c t o p i c s r e p o r t e d on were (1) measures t o h e lp d i s p l a c e d workers 40 f i n d j o b s , (2) j o b - h u n t i n g e x p e r i e n c e , and (3) jo b e f f e c t s o f d i s ­ placement (U.S. Department o f Labor, 1964). Under t h e heading o f measures t o h elp d i s p l a c e d workers f i n d j o b s , e a r l y n o t i c e , placement s e r v i c e s , i n t e r p l a n t t r a n s f e r s , and employer r e t r a i n i n g programs were d i s c u s s e d . Only one p l a n t i s s u e d an e a r l y n o t i c e , n e a r l y t h r e e y e a r s b e f o r e t h e c l o s i n g , and o f the o t h e r f o u r , s i x months was t h e l o n g e s t advance n o t i c e . Placement a s s i s t a n c e was gi ven in two c a s e s , i n one by t h e union and in th e o t h e r by th e company. Although a l l f i v e companies were multi p l a n t f i r m s , only two o f f e r e d i n t e r p l a n t t r a n s f e r s . According t o t h e Bureau o f Labor S t a t i s t i c s , None o f t h e f i v e employers adopted programs to r e t r a i n d i s ­ placed workers f o r jo b s e ls e w h e re . One company p u b l i c l y announced th e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a $100,000 r e t r a i n i n g fund s h o r t l y a f t e r announcing t h e impending shutdown; b u t th e p r o ­ gram was n o t implemented. About 30 p e r c e n t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers r e g i s t e r e d f o r t r a i n i n g . The company r e p o r t e d t h a t f o r o v e r 70 p e r c e n t o f t h e r e g i s t r a n t s , t h e r e was no r e a s o n a b l e p r o s p e c t f o r j o b placement a f t e r r e t r a i n i n g because o f a g e , in a d e q u a te s c h o o l i n g , o r low s c o r e s on a p t i t u d e t e s t s . I t s t a t e d t h a t many were n o t w i l l i n g t o t r a i n f o r s e r v i c e jo b s pay­ ing much lower wages th a n th e y had been r e c e i v i n g , and t h a t few were w i l l i n g t o g iv e up unemployment compensation and supplemen­ t a r y unemployment b e n e f i t s , f o r which th ey would have been d i s ­ q u a l i f i e d under e x i s t i n g r e g u l a t i o n s , w h ile engaged i n a f u l l ­ time t r a i n i n g program, ( p . 4) Under t h e heading o f j o b - h u n t i n g e x p e r i e n c e , reemployment was a d d r ess ed a cco r d in g t o worker c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . The o v e r a l l unemployment r a t e a t t h e time o f t h e s tu d y was approxim ate ly 33 p e r ­ cent: one o u t o f t h r e e workers had n o t found employment. There was s u b s t a n t i a l lo n g - te r m unemployment; i n f o u r o u t o f f i v e c a s e s , more th a n h a l f o f t h e workers had been unemployed more than 16 weeks d u r ­ ing t h e pr ev io u s two-year p e r i o d . A l a r g e number o f th e workers had 41 held no j o b a t a l l dur in g t h i s p e r i o d . among o l d e r w o r k e rs —th o s e 45 and o v e r . Unemployment was much h i g h e r The r a t e o f unemployment among women was even h i g h e r , almost t h r e e times as high as t h a t o f men. Since only a small number o f d i s p l a c e d workers took any t r a i n ­ ing c o u r s e s , no comments were made about t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f t r a i n i n g . Under t h e heading o f j o b e f f e c t s o f d i s p l a c e m e n t, t h e r e s u l t s were gloomy. "Besides long term unemployment, d i s p l a c e d workers who found jo b s e x p e r i e n c e d lower e a r n i n g s , work o f lower s k i l l , l o s s o f employee b e n e f i t s and l o s s o f s e n i o r i t y p r o t e c t i o n " (U.S. Department o f Labor, 1964, p. 8 ) . White- and B l u e - C o l l a r Workers In 1968, Foltman i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e d i f f e r e n c e s i n behav iors between d i s p l a c e d w h i t e - and b l u e - c o l l a r w o r k e rs . His general c o n c l u ­ s io n was t h a t w h i t e - c o l l a r workers sought t o maximize t h e o p p o r t u n i ­ t i e s a v a i l a b l e t o them f o ll o w i n g l a y o f f , whereas b l u e - c o l l a r workers tended t o s a c r i f i c e o r s e t t l e f o r what appeared t o be good enough. His primary goal was t o de term in e whether t h e r e were d i f f e r e n c e s in t h e b e h a v i o r s o f t h e two c l a s s e s o f w o r k e rs ; he concluded t h a t , in f a c t , t h e r e were d i f f e r e n c e s . Foltman a l s o s t u d i e d a number o f o t h e r p r o p o s i t i o n s . The f i r s t was t h a t o l d e r w o r k e rs , both w h i t e - and b l u e - c o l l a r , f i n d employment l e s s r e a d i l y th a n do younger w or k ers . In g e n e r a l , he found o l d e r workers to be l e s s s u c c e s s f u l than yo unger w o r k e rs ; he a l s o found t h a t o l d e r b l u e - c o l l a r workers had more d i f f i c u l t y f i n d i n g jobs th a n d id w h i t e - c o l l a r j o b s e e k e r s . Data from t h e s tu d y confirmed h is second p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t t h e h ig h e r t h e l e v e l o f e d u c a tio n among 42 d i s p l a c e d w or k ers , t h e g r e a t e r t h e i r chance o f reemployment. His t h i r d p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t s k i l l e d workers f i n d more jo b o p p o r t u n i t i e s a f t e r j o b d isp lace m e n t than do l e s s - s k i l l e d w o r k e r s , had been con­ firmed in pr ev io u s s t u d i e s . s tu d y . I t was v a l i d a t e d once ag ai n in Foltm an1s The n e x t p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t community e f f o r t s t o f i n d jo bs f o r d i s p l a c e d workers a r e g e n e r a l l y u n s u c c e s s f u l , was a l s o conf irmed. The resp ondents tended t o v e r i f y t h e p e s s i m i s t i c c o n c lu s io n t h a t e f f o r t s made by th e community were n o t very h e l p f u l . And a company placement program ranked t h i r d in terms o f h e l p f u l n e s s , f o ll o w in g p er so nal a p p l i c a t i o n s and t h e p u b l i c employment s e r v i c e . There wer e, in f a c t , no s u s t a i n e d community e f f o r t s t o f i n d jo b s f o r d i s p l a c e d wor kers. The res p o n d en ts a l s o s u p p o rte d Foltman's f i f t h p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t p u b l i c and p r i v a t e employment a g en cies pl ay a r e l a t i v e l y minor r o l e i n f i n d i n g jo b s f o r d i s p l a c e d w or k ers . Findings from t h e study d id n o t e n t i r e l y v a l i d a t e Foltman 's s i x t h p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t d i s p l a c e d workers who f i n d new jo b s p e r c e i v e t h e s e jo b s t o be " l e s s d e s i r a b l e " than t h e i r p r ev io u s employment. Although 57 p e r c e n t o f t h e respond ­ e n t s r a t e d jo b s a t i s f a c t i o n lower on t h e i r new j o b s , 43 p e r c e n t r a t e d t h e i r new jobs as being more s a t i s f y i n g . The s t u d y seemed to v a l i d a t e a s eventh p r o p o s i t i o n , t h a t d i s p l a c e d b l u e - c o l l a r workers a r e s t r o n g l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e i r communi­ t i e s and w i l l n o t c o n s i d e r moving away, whereas d i s p l a c e d w h i t e - c o l l a r workers a r e l e s s a t t a c h e d t o t h e i r c o r m u n i t i e s and more l i k e l y t o t a k e jo b s r e q u i r i n g a move. The f i n a l p r o p o s i t i o n , one t h a t e d u c a to r s would l i k e t o have seen r e f u t e d , was confirm ed . Foltman s uggested 43 t h a t d i s p l a c e d workers do n o t c o n s i d e r r e t r a i n i n g o r c o n tin u in g t h e i r e d u c a ti o n as a r e a l i s t i c a l t e r n a t i v e . c l e a r l y v a l i d a t e d his p r o p o s i t i o n . Findings from th e study I t should be added, however, t h a t not many t r a i n i n g o p t i o n s were made a v a i l a b l e t o t h e Wickwire workers. The E f f e c t o f P l a n t Shutdowns on Workers From June 1970 t o June 1971, t h e pro vinc e o f O ntario had more p l a n t shutdowns and r e d u c t i o n s in employment than a t any time s i n c e t h e Depression o f 1929. Eleen and Bernardine (1971) s t u d i e d th e s i t u a t i o n by means of a s u rv e y . Among o t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , th ey wanted t o g ain an un d e r sta n d in g o f t h e e x t e n t o f t h e shutdowns, t h e number o f people unemployed, what happened t o th e w o r k e rs , and th e e f f e c t o f t h e unemployment on th e community. some re m ed ie s. They a l s o wanted t o propose The i n fo r m a tio n c o l l e c t e d i n d i c a t e d t h a t th e s i t u a ­ t i o n was more s e v e r e tha n t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r s had e x p e c te d . They com­ pared t h e shutdown with be in g e x i l e d t o some b a r r e n w a s t e l a n d . "In view o f th e economic c l i m a t e in t h i s co untry in t h e p a s t y e a r , and th e high r a t e o f unemployment in general (8.0% i n J a n u a r y ) , many o f t h e workers ha ve, i n f a c t , been ban ish ed t o t h e i n d u s t r i a l s c r a p heap" (p. 1 ) . The survey showed t h a t 138 companies had te r m i n a t e d more than 75 wo rke rs , and more than 16,000 had been l a i d o f f o r had lo st th e ir jobs. The a u th o r s were c r i t i c a l o f r e t r a i n i n g programs: I t seems an e x e r c i s e in f u t i l i t y t o t r a i n and r e t r a i n work­ e r s f o r jo b s t h a t d o n ' t e x i s t ; to r e l o c a t e workers t o o t h e r a r e a s t h a t a r e having t h e same problem; t o give workers n o t i c e 44 o f l a y o f f so t h a t th e y can look around f o r o t h e r jo b s t h a t a r e n 't there. Such programs a r e use ful only conjoined with a program t h a t provid e s f o r a buoyant economy, f u l l employment and ad eq ua te p u rchasing power in t h e hands o f t h e workers , (p. 13) From t h e i r surv ey and a review o f Canadian and American l i t ­ e r a t u r e , Eleen and Be rn ar dine fo rm ulat ed a s e r i e s o f recommendations. They r e s e r v e d comment on r e t r a i n i n g because th ey f e l t t h a t , due to t h e s l a c k economy and a poor l a b o r m ar ket , i t was n o t p o s s i b l e to a s s e s s such programs a c c u r a t e l y . ^ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. T h e ir pro p o sals were as fo llo w s : R e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e Community—Community r e s o u r c e s should be m o bilized t o pro v id e help t o th e workers wh ile th ey a r e s t i l l employed. Management Must Prove Cause f o r Shutdown— I f t h e e n t e r p r i s e i s economically v i a b l e and t h e company p e r s i s t s with i t s d e c i s i o n t o s h u t down, t h e ODS sho uld t a k e ov er and o p e r a t e t h e p l a n t f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f t h e p u b l i c t r e a s u r y and t o p r e ­ s e r v e t h e jo b s o f t h e workers in v olved. I n d u s t r y Must Bear I n i t i a l Cost o f Change—The human c o s t o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l o r o t h e r change, p l a n t shutdown, and worker d is p lace m e n t must be i n i t i a l l y borne by i n d u s t r y . S o c ie t y through th e government should absorb t h e r e s t o f t h e c o s t o f long range cushion in g measures on b e h a l f o f t h e worker and th e community. Runaway P l a n t s —The government should impose economic s a n c ­ t i o n s on them i f th e y become runaway p l a n t s . Labour-Management-Manpower Committees—For t h e phasing o u t o f p l a n t shutdowns. Right to S t r i k e on Change. Notice o f T e rm in a tio n —The Employment S tandards Ac t, S e c tio n 1A, should be amended t o make e l i g i b l e f o r 6 months n o t i c e o r payment in l i e u o f , any group o f 10 o r more workers whose employment i s t e r m i n a t e d o r who a r e l a i d o f f f o r more than 8 weeks r e g a r d l e s s f o r what r e a s o n , i n c l u d i n g i f t h e t e r m i n a ­ t i o n o r l a y o f f t a k e s p la c e durin g a s t r i k e o r lo c k o u t o r dur in g v a c a t i o n s . Workers Must Share i n P r o d u c t i v i t y . It t h e time of as high (16 P rovinc e a t should be noted t h a t t h e unemployment r a t e i n Michigan a t t h e survey o f t h e former L yons /C hr ys ler workers was twice p e r c e n t compared t o 8 p e r c e n t ) as t h a t o f t h e O ntario t h e time o f t h i s s tu d y . 45 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Right t o Work—Everyone should be e n t i t l e d t o th e p r e p a r a t i o n , e d u c a t i o n and s k i l l t r a i n i n g n e c e s s a r y t o o b t a i n employment and make a c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e economy. C o l l e c t i v e B a r gaining —C o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g , c o n s u l t a t i o n , n e g o t i a t i o n s , and p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e w o r k e rs , has a r o l e t o play i n a r r i v i n g a t s o l u t i o n s t o t h e problems o f te c h n o ­ l o g i c a l change, p l a n t shutdown and worker d i sp la c e m e n t. Spreading Out t h e Work—With p r o p e r s h a r i n g - o u t o f work and a r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f income, we could have worker s a b b a t i c a l s , s h o r t e n th e work y e a r and have a 4-day work week. Co ordinat io n and Anal ysis o f Manpower—All p la c in g and h i r i n g should be done by one c e n t r a l government manpower agency t h a t would know e x a c t l y what i s going on i n t h e job market. Technological Change Claus e—C o l l e c t i v e agreements should have t e c h n o l o g i c a l change and p l a n t shutdown c l a u s e s . A Conference on Ground Rules f o r P l a n t Shutdown—A co nfer en ce on a l l l e v e l s o f government, i n d u s t r y and l a b o u r should be convened t o work out procedures and ground r u l e s to be f o l ­ lowed i n p l a n t shutdowns, mass l a y o f f s and t e r m i n a t i o n s o f employment. The Ont ar io Development C o r p o r a t io n —The ODC and t h e Regional Development Branch o f t h e Department o f Trea sury and Economics should plan and dec ide j o i n t l y where new i n d u s t r y i s l o c a t e d o r which i n d u s t r y i s a s s i s t e d . A Full-Employment Economy—A planned and expanding economy with e q u i t a b l e t a x la ws, a c o o r d in a te d s o c i a l w e l f a r e system and a r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f income, a r e a l l e s s e n t i a l s to c r e a t i n g t h e kind o f economic c l i m a t e in which t h e bad e f f e c t s o f p l a n t shutdown and unemployment can be minimized. Guaranteed Annual Income—E x i s t i n g b e n e f i t and s o c i a l w e l f a r e programs should be i n t e g r a t e d i n t o a gu ar anteed annual income t o g u a r a n te e a l l Canadians a d e c e n t minimal s t a n d a r d o f l i v i n g . Severance Pay—Severance pay o f one week's pay f o r each y e a r o f work should be mandatory i n a l l e n t e r p r i s e s . Consequences o f P l a n t Closure Following t h e c l o s i n g o f t h e Armour Kansas Ci ty P l a n t , S t e r n s (1972) conducted a s tudy o f p r e - and postshutdown e a r n i n g s to measure t h e economic e f f e c t o f p l a n t c l o s u r e on t h e income o f workers who made d i f f e r e n t v o c a ti o n a l choi ce s f o llo w i n g t h e shutdown. Each ex-worker was i d e n t i f i e d as belong in g t o one o f t h r e e groups: (1) t h o s e who e l e c t e d i n t e r p l a n t t r a n s f e r s , (2) th o s e who chose 46 s h o r t - t e r m t r a i n i n g , and (3) th o s e who so ug ht new j o b s in t h e l o c a l l a b o r market. The f i r s t major f i n d i n g from S t e r n s ' s s tu d y was t h a t i n t e r ­ p l a n t t r a n s f e r s had a very l a r g e p o s i t i v e and s i g n i f i c a n t e f f e c t on postshutdown e a r n i n g s . The e f f e c t was so g r e a t t h a t he concluded t h e r e seemed to be "an extr emely l a r g e and p o s s i b l y permanent income l o s s a s s o c i a t e d with t h e d e c i s i o n n o t t o t r a n s f e r . " S t e r n s had ex pected to f i n d a p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n between i n t e r p l a n t t r a n s f e r s and postshutdown wages. He had a l s o ex pected t o f i n d some p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n between postshutdown wages and t r a i n i n g . This second c o r r e l a t i o n did n o t prove t o be t r u e i n t h e Armour s tu d y . Quite t h e c o n t r a r y , workers who chose t r a i n i n g did n o t even do as well as t h o s e who went d i r e c t l y t o t h e l a b o r market f o r work. In S t e r n s ' s s tu d y , t r a i n i n g simply did n o t pay o f f . Those who chose to t r a n s f e r d id w e l l ; t h o s e who chose t r a i n i n g o r t h e l a b o r market did n o t . S te rn s conclud ed , S e m i s k i l l e d workers and u n s k i l l e d p roductio n workers w i l l s u f f e r a s u b s t a n t i a l lo n g -r u n r e d u c t i o n in e a r n in g s because o f a p l a n t c l o s u r e u n l e s s th ey have i n t e r p l a n t t r a n s f e r r i g h t s which they e x e r c i s e . The p r i c e o f s t a r t i n g over i s pro bably h i g h e r than i s g e n e r a l l y r e a l i z e d even in l a r g e l a b o r markets with unemployment r a t e s s l i g h t l y above 4 p e r c e n t , (p. 19) In 1975, McCarthy conducted a cas e stu dy o f t h e shoe i n d u s t r y i n M as sac hu se tts to determ ine t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f b e n e f i t s provided under t h e Trade Expansion Act o f 1965. Because o f th e l i m i t e d r espons e t o u se o f t h e a d ju s tm e n t s e r v i c e s , however, he changed h i s focus and e v e n t u a l l y e x p l a in e d t h e a d ju stm en t problem i t s e l f . From t h e in form a­ t i o n he d i d g a i n , McCarthy commented abou t t h e Trade Adjustment 47 A s s i s t a n c e Program. He b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e program had been i n e f f e c t i v e because (1) e l i g i b i l i t y c r i t e r i a have been t o o s t r i c t f o r t h e program t o reach many firm s and w o r k e rs ; (2) t h e time la g between a p p l i ­ c a t i o n f o r and r e c e i p t o f b e n e f i t s has been so long t h a t most a p p l i c a n t s have been f o r c e d t o a d j u s t on t h e i r own; (3) knowledge o f a v a i l a b l e b e n e f i t s i s n o t w id es p read ; (4) workers i n t e r e s t e d in t r a i n i n g and r e l o c a t i o n have o f t e n f ac ed insu rm ountable admin­ i s t r a t i v e o b s t a c l e s ; and (5) many impacted workers and firm s have simply n o t been i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e b e n e f i t s , (p. i i ) From t h e i n t e r v i e w s McCarthy co nducte d, he found s e v e r e a d j u s t ­ ment problems: One -fo urth o f t h e r e spondents had found no employment d ur in g t h e t h r e e - y e a r p e r io d f o llo w in g l a y o f f , only h a l f had found f u l l - t i m e employment, and r e a l wages had d e c l i n e d 13 p e r c e n t f o r th o s e who had found employment. Of t h e 200 sample members, only one had p a r t i c i p a t e d in a government t r a i n i n g program, one had r e c e i v e d a r e l o c a t i o n a l lo w an ce, and only f i v e had been pla ced in jo b s by th e D i v i s i o n o f Employment S e c u r i t y . The only b e n e f i t t h a t most workers used was th e Trade Readjustment Allowance, a supplement t o income. From t h e s tu d y o f worker a d j u s t m e n t , McCarthy made e i g h t observations: (1) Men a d j u s t e d more e a s i l y than women. They found j o b s more q u i c k l y and s u f f e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y fewer weeks o f unemploy­ ment b e f o r e f i n d i n g j o b s . They a l s o earned s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r wages than t h e i r female c o u n t e r p a r t s . (2) Older workers had a more d i f f i c u l t time a d j u s t i n g th an did th e young and th e middle aged. (3) Those with more h i g h l y p aid jo b s took l a r g e r a b s o l u t e c u t s i n wages. (4) Workers w ith t h e most s e n i o r i t y and e x p e r i e n c e had a more d i f f i c u l t time a d j u s t i n g t h a n d i d o t h e r sample members. (5) Workers who s ta y e d in t h e shoe i n d u s t r y s u f f e r e d l e s s than th o s e who chose o t h e r p a t h s . They 48 had fewer weeks o f unemployment and a t th e time o f i n t e r v i e w were e a r n i n g s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r wages. (6) High r a t e s and r i s i n g tr e n d s in unemployment le d t o long p e r i o d s o f unemployment b e f o r e f i n d i n g subse qu en t j o b s . (7) Firm a s s i s t a n c e and t r a i n i n g appeared t o have some e f f e c t on workers f in d i n g new j o b s . (8) I t appeared t h a t with more n o t i c e o f impending l a y o f f , workers were b e t t e r a b l e t o a d j u s t . They s u f f e r e d fewer weeks of unemployment and s u b s e q u e n t ly r e c e i v e d h ig h e r wages. The P hysica l and Mental Health E f f e c t s o f Job Displacement In 1980, Gordus wrote an a r t i c l e on t h e ph y s ic a l and mental e f f e c t s o f j o b d i s p l a c e m e n t. He in tr o d u c e d t h e a r t i c l e with t h e f o l ­ lowing schem atic r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f th e r e s u l t s o f j o b l o s s on i n d i ­ viduals: Macroeconomic Change Job S e p a r a t i o n + Economic Consequences o f Job Loss + + Noneconomic Consequences o f Job Loss Evidence o f I n d iv i d u a l Pathology Gordus the n p r e s e n t e d , d i s c u s s e d , and s upport ed a number o f p r o p o s i t i o n s based p r i m a r i l y on t h e Cobb and Kasl s t u d y , "Te rm ination: The Consequences o f Job L o s s ." The f i v e p r o p o s i t i o n s a r e as f o l l o w s : (1) Negative ph y s ic a l and mental h e a l t h outcomes a r e a s s o c i a t e d with th e e x p e r i e n c e o f unemployment. (2) The n e g a t i v e mental and physic a l h e a l t h outcomes a s s o c i a t e d w ith j o b l o s s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y a m e l i o r a te d 49 by t h e pr ese nce o f a s o c i a l s u p p o r t s t r u c t u r e . (3) R e c u rr e n t bouts o f unemployment a r e a s s o c i a t e d wit h n e g a t i v e outcomes t o a g r e a t e r degree than i s a s i n g l e p e r i o d o f prolonged unemployment. (4) Workers unemployed as a r e s u l t o f p l a n t c l o s i n g s ap pe ar t o f a r e b e t t e r than workers unemployed under o t h e r c o n d i t i o n s , e s p e c i a l l y i f l a b o r - m a r k e t c o n d i t i o n s a r e f a v o r a b l e t o r e l a t i v e l y r a p i d reemployment and i f a s o c i a l s u p p o r t s t r u c t u r e i s a v a i l a b l e and f u n c t i o n s p o s i t i v e l y . (5) Although f a m i l i e s a r e s t r e s s e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y by t h e e x p e r ie n c e o f unemployment, t h e fa m il y co n tin u e s t o provide a v a l u a b l e so u rce o f s u p p o rt and r e s o u r c e s f o r unemployed f am il y members. S t r e s s , Primary Support Systems, and t h e B l u e - C o l l a r Woman Warren (1980) focu se d h e r stu d y on t h e unique problem o f th e unemployed woman. Using two r e s e a r c h methods, a b a s e l i n e su rv ey and s y s t e m a t i c e t h n o g r a p h ic o b s e r v a t i o n s , she c o l l e c t e d i n fo r m a tio n on 770 randomly s e l e c t e d i n d i v i d u a l s from e i g h t suburban D e t r o i t c i t i e s and made e th n o g r a p h ic o b s e r v a t i o n s i n s e l e c t e d neighborhoods o f th o s e cities. 1. 2. 3. Some o f h e r f i n d i n g s were as f o ll o w s : Although women r e p o r t , i n g e n e r a l , tw ice t h e amount o f s t r e s s as men, unemployed women r e p o r t alm os t f o u r times more s t r e s s th an unemployed men. Unemployed women r e p o r t 50% more s t r e s s th an housewives, and 100% more s t r e s s than employed women. While employment s t a t u s seems t o showl i t t l e d i f f e r e n c e in m al es ' r e p o r t e d s t r e s s , f o r females by f a r t h e l e a s t s t r e s s i s r e p o r t e d among t h o s e h o lding a s te a d y job (17.9% f o r t h e employed female compared w ith 32.7% f o r t h e unemployed fem ale!). Warren went on to s u g g e s t why unemployment i s so d e v a s t a t i n g f o r women. She p o in te d o u t t h a t women ( e s p e c i a l l y unemployed women) 50 cannot r e l y on t r a d i t i o n a l s u p p o rt systems (sp ouse, co -w ork er s, unions) as men do; t h a t b l u e - c o l l a r women a r e more t i e d down t o t h e i r own neighborhoods, which pr ov ide v i r t u a l l y no s u p p o r t ; and t h a t b lu e c o l l a r working women make l e s s - f r e q u e n t use o f p r o f e s s i o n a l help g iv e r s than do t h e i r male c o u n t e r p a r t s . C a p it a lis m and Human Obsolescence In t h e i r 1980 p u b l i c a t i o n , Young and Newton sh ared f i n d i n g s from a study conc er ning r u r a l economic d e c l i n e . T h e i r p r o j e c t was based on the th e o r y t h a t d e t e r i o r a t i o n o f r u r a l communities was c o n t r i b u t i n g to urban p o v e r ty . They in te n d e d t o fo ll o w unemployed r u r a l workers to urban s e t t i n g s and t o observe them a s , unable t o cope i n t h e urban s e t t i n g , th ey became c o n t r i b u t o r s t o urban p o v e r t y . The i n v e s t i g a t o r s chose f i v e r u r a l s i t e s in which t h e r e was community dependence on one i n d u s t r y and imminent d isp la c e m e n t o f workers and small pr od uce rs from t h e i r j o b s . The people and s e t t i n g were wood workers in Oregon, miners in Ari zona, p i n e a p p le workers in Hawaii, small farmers in C a l i f o r n i a , and shopkeepers i n Washington. The i n i t i a l s t u d y , however, never took p lace because t h e d i s p l a c e d workers did not move. A p o s s i b l e r espons e t o r u r a l economic d e c l i n e i s t o " s t a y p u t , " and t h a t i s what t h e s t u d i e d p o p u la ti o n p r i m a r i l y d i d . Previous r e s e a r c h e r s had d e s c r i b e d t h i s o p t i o n and some o f t h e a s s o c i a t e d s h o r t - t e r m problems. What had n o t been analyzed was t h e l o n g e r - t e r m a d a p t i o n , which s u b s e q u e n tly became t h e focus o f Young and Newton's r e s e a r c h . Convinced t h a t human o b s o le s cen ce i s an i n e v i t a b l e p a r t o f c a p i t a l i s m , t h e a u th o r s s t r o n g l y c r i t i c i z e d many 51 c u r r e n t economic and governmental p o l i c i e s and recommended a l t e r n a ­ t i v e p o l i c i e s based on human nee ds. In a d d i t i o n t o t h e i r main d i s ­ c u s s i o n , which was based mainly on economic t h e o r y , th ey a l s o found t h a t a d u l t workers in f a m i l i e s t h a t remained in d e c l i n i n g r u r a l com­ m u n it ie s and s u b s i s t e d through prolonged unemployment became i n c r e a s ­ i n g l y unemployable. They wr ote: This may be e i t h e r a l a b o r demand o r l a b o r supply problem, o r b oth. On th e demand s i d e , employers a p p ear t o d i s c r i m i n a t e a g a i n s t people who have " u n s t a b l e " work h i s t o r i e s o r a l o n g , r e c e n t p e r io d o f unemployment. I t i s n o t c l e a r whether t h i s d i s c r i m i n a t i o n i s based on t h e assumption t h a t en fo rc ed l e i s u r e d u l l s t h e work e t h i c o r t h a t s k i l l s become r u s t y with d i s u s e . In any c a s e , i t i s dem onstrable t h a t w o r k e rs ' chances o f employ­ ment d e c l i n e when o r i f th e y e x p e r ie n c e r e p e a t e d o r prolonged unemployment. On t h e sup ply s i d e , we found t h a t , with t i m e , people who a r e unemployed begin t o f e e l l e s s c o n f i d e n t abou t t h e i r a b i l i t y t o f i n d work and q u e s t i o n w het her j o b s a c t u a l l y e x i s t f o r them. This i s t h e es se n ce o f what economists c a l l t h e "disc ou ra ge d worker" phenomenon: As people l o s e hope o f f i n d i n g a j o b , they s to p look ing and drop o u t o f t h e l a b o r f o r c e . When s i g n i f i c a n t numbers o f people s to p l o oking f o r work, economists n o te t h a t t h e r a t e o f l a b o r - f o r c e p a r t i c i p a t i o n d e c l i n e s . These r a t e s te n d t o be r e l a t i v e l y lower in r u r a l a r e a s th an in urban o nes , and i t i s easy t o imagine why r u r a l workers a r e e a s i l y d is c o u r a g e d : In a t y p i c a l l y s t a g n a n t community t h e r e a r e p r e c io u s few jo b s t o be had. (p. 4) C a p it a l and Communities B lues tone and H a r ri s o n (1980) examined t h e causes and conse­ quences o f j o b l o s s and p r i v a t e d i s i n v e s t m e n t a t p l a n t c l o s i n g s . In t h e i r s tudy t h e y focused on a concern f o r what th e y c a l l e d a major American c r i s i s —t h e d e v a s t a t i o n o f people and communities as c a p i t a l moves a t an e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g r a t e , In th e proc es s o f t h e i r work, they con tend ed , t h e y became aware o f some m islead in g myths upon which c u r ­ r e n t economic p o l i c y and p r a c t i c e a r e bas ed . t i o n s a r e as f o l l o w s : These m is l e a d in g assump­ 52 1. 2. 3. C a p i t a l f l i g h t i s merely a r e g io n a l problem with only l i m i t e d and not very s e r i o u s impact on people and communi­ t i e s around t h e n a t i o n . Unr egulated c a p i t a l m o b i l i t y , a t r a d i t i o n a l s a c r e d cow o f t h e American id e o l o g y , i s both e s s e n t i a l and b e n e f i c i a l t o t h e e n t i r e economy. Tax i n c e n t i v e s and o t h e r government giveaways to b i g bu s in es s w i l l r e c t i f y in s h o r t o r d e r whatever imbalance does e x i s t . B lu es to ne and Har ri son in te n d e d t h a t t h e i r study would r e p l a c e t h e s e myths with s u b s t a n t i a t e d f a c t s and f i g u r e s . They did n o t l i m i t t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n s o l e l y t o p l a n t c l o s i n g , which they sugges ted was only t h e t i p o f t h e i c e b e r g . They a l s o t a l k e d about how companies a r e run down, how gradual s h i f t s o f manpower and machinery a r e made, and how p r o f i t s a r e r e a l l o c a t e d from one p l a n t t o a n o t h e r . p o in te d o u t t h e p a t t e r n o f d e v a s t a t i o n t h a t f o l l o w s . They When workers l o s e j o b s , t h e y l o s e more than paychecks; t h e i r s o c i a l , p h y s i c a l , and emotional well being a r e a l s o a f f e c t e d . th ey s u f f e r a r e : Some o f th e a d d i t i o n a l l o s s e s l o s s o f e a r n i n g s i n s ubs eq uen t employment; f a i l u r e t o r e g a i n s te a d y p o s t t e r m i n a t i o n employment; l o s s o f h e a l t h - i n s u r a n c e coverage and pension b e n e f i t s ; d e c l i n e in oc c u p a ti o n a l s t a t u s ; exh austed fa m il y s a v i n g s ; mortgage f o r e c l o s u r e ; perso na l bankruptcy; reduced h e a l t h m ai nten an ce ; i n c r e a s e d h y p e r t e n s i o n , h e a r t d i s e a s e , u l c e r s , and r e s p i r a t o r y d i s e a s e ; i n c r e a s e d s u i c i d e and a l c o h o lis m ; i n c r e a s e d homicide and a c u t e d e p r e s s i o n ; i n c r e a s e d c h i l d and spouse a bu se; and l o s s o f p er so n al purpose. The a u th o r s claimed t h a t t h e e f f e c t does not s to p with i n d i ­ v i d u a l s , but pervades t h e whole s o c i e t y . When t h e p l a n t o r s t o r e c l o s e s , t h e r i p p l e e f f e c t i s f e l t by t h e depar tment s t o r e s and th e s u p e rm a r k e ts. The e x t e n t o f t h e e f f e c t on t h e community i s l i m i t e d 53 only by t h e importance o f t h e b u s in e s s o r i n d u s t r y —whether i t was a major employer o r an i m p o r ta n t p u r c h a s e r o f goods and s e r v i c e s from other area businesses. Some o f t h e most obvious s i d e e f f e c t s a r e (1) l o s s o f o t h e r income and j o b s , (2) d i s r u p t i o n o f l o c a l b u s in e s s l i n k a g e s , (3) d e c l i n e o f t h e l o c a l ta x b a s e , (4) community anomie, and, in some i n s t a n c e s , (5) s o c i a l v i o l e n c e . The w r i t e r s contended t h a t some governmental p o l i c i e s ar e needed—n o t to s t o p , b u t r a t h e r t o r e g u l a t e , t h e u n b r id l e d movement o f capital. They s u g g e ste d t h a t government o f f i c i a l s c o n s i d e r th e a c t i o n s tak en by such European c o u n t r i e s as Sweden, Gre at B r i t a i n , and West Germany. In a conc luding c h a p t e r , th ey s uggested s e v e r a l means f o r a c h i e v i n g a b e t t e r system , in c l u d i n g (1) n e g o t i a t e d c o n t r a c t s t h a t would f u r t h e r p r o t e c t w o r k e rs , (2) l a b o r - l a w r e fo rm , (3) p l a n t - c l o s i n g l e g i s l a t i o n , (4) a c l o s e r look a t t h e European e x p e r i e n c e , (5) e a r l y warning s ystem s, (6) economic redevelopment, (7) worker/community bu yo uts , (8) s e l e c t i v e n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n i n key s e c t o r s , and (9) a f in a n c e system s u p p o rted by t i g h t e r c o r p o r a t e t a x laws (B lues tone & H a r r i s o n , 1980, pp. 249- 78). Community-College S e r v ic e s Following P l a n t Closings T r a i n i n g and r e t r a i n i n g a r e two o f t h e primary missions o f community c o l l e g e s . Community-college development and growth have been based on t h e need and d e s i r e f o r c o l l e g e t r a n s f e r and o c c u p a t i o n a l t r a i n i n g programs. These c o l l e g e s have a l s o been e f f e c t i v e in d e a l i n g w ith community problems through such a d d i t i o n a l s e r v i c e s as n o n c r e d i t i n s t r u c t i o n , s e m in a r s , and workshops. As community-college e n r o llm e n ts 54 and programs have changed dur in g t h e p a s t 20 y e a r s , t i e s with v o c a t i o n a l / t e c h n i c a l t r a i n i n g have assumed even g r e a t e r impo rta nc e. According to G l eazer (1980), The c o l l e g e t h a t e n r o l l e d l a t e a d o l e s c e n t high school g r a d u a te s to p r e p a r e them f o r u p p e r - d i v i s i o n work i n f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s now p r e p o n d e r a n t l y s e r v e s people well beyond t h e i r e a r l y twen­ t i e s and high school g r a d u a t i o n , i f indeed th ey have been gr ad u­ a t e d . Host o f th e p a r t i c i p a n t s i n community c o l l e g e programs t a k e a co urse o r two w h il e th e y work f u l l - t i m e o r p a r t - t i m e . They a r e l i k e l y t o be m ar ried and have c h i l d r e n . And a m a j o r i t y a r e e i t h e r p r e p a r i n g d i r e c t l y f o r employment o r a r e t r y i n g to improve t h e i r j o b s i t u a t i o n s , (p. 3) C o n s i s t e n t with t h e n a t i o n a l p a t t e r n , Michigan community c o l ­ le g e s have placed g r e a t emphasis on t h e i r a b i l i t y t o meet t h e t r a i n i n g needs o f employees in t h e i r s t a t e . M ic hig an's tw e n t y - n in e community c o l l e g e s comprise a s t a t e - w i d e network which can be th e primary d e l i v e r y system f o r jo b t r a i n ­ ing s u p p o r t o f t h e s t a t e ' s economic development e f f o r t s . Com­ munity c o l l e g e s have a w e l l - e s t a b l i s h e d r e c o r d o f pr o v id in g o c c u p a tio n a l e d u c a t i o n f o r t h e c i t i z e n s o f Michigan and working with b u s in e s s firm s to p r o v id e j o b t r a i n i n g and upgrading p r o ­ grams. Community c o l l e g e s i n Michigan c o l l e c t i v e l y o f f e r a t o t a l o f n e a r l y 1,200 o c c u p a ti o n a l programs. Most o f M ichigan's b u s i ­ ness f ir m s a r e w i t h i n d r i v i n g d i s t a n c e o f one o f th e s t a t e ' s community c o l l e g e s , and t h e s e f ir m s have been d i r e c t l y involved in f o r m u l a t i n g th e o c c u p a tio n a l e d u c a tio n programs o f t h e c o l l e g e s . Last y e a r Michigan community c o l l e g e s e n r o l l e d 126,500 s t u d e n t s i n o c c u p a t i o n a l l y - r e l a t e d c o u r s e s , prov ided s p e c i f i c e d u c a t i o n a l programs f o r n e a r l y 2,500 b u s in e s s fir m s which r e s u l t e d i n improved jo b s k i l l s f o r over 30,000 employees, pro vided j o b - r e l a t e d i n s t r u c ­ t i o n t o a p p roxim a te ly 12,000 a p p r e n t i c e s , and c o n t r a c t e d w it h l o c a l f ir m s t o pr ovid e s p e c i a l s h o r t - t e r m t r a i n i n g f o r o v e r 19,000 employees. (Michigan Community C ollege A s s o c i a t i o n , 1981) Given t h i s commitment t o t r a i n i n g , one might e x p e c t t o see numerous r e f e r e n c e s t o community c o l l e g e s in t h e l i t e r a t u r e on p l a n t closings. S u r p r i s i n g l y , however, v er y l i t t l e has been w r i t t e n about t h e community-college res ponse t o p l a n t c l o s i n g . The w r i t e r assumed t h a t t h e l a c k o f r e s e a r c h and w r i t i n g does n o t i n d i c a t e nonvinvolvement 55 b u t r a t h e r p o i n t s t o th e f a c t t h a t community c o l l e g e s tend to be i s e r v i c e r a t h e r th an r e s e a r c h i n s t i t u t i o n s . The few w r i t i n g s t h a t have been done on t h i s t o p i c a r e d i s c u s s e d on t h e f o ll o w in g pages. V i r g i n i a Highlands Community College In 1971, V i r g i n i a Highlands Community Colleg e took an a c t i v e r o l e in res ponse t o th e shutdown o f an 01 in Chemical p l a n t in nearby S c o tts v ille , V irginia. Before th e a c t u a l p l a n t c l o s i n g i n J u ly 1971, th e c o l l e g e developed a j o b - p r e p a r e d n e s s c e n t e r , whose purpose was t o provid e t r a i n i n g and c o u n s e lin g f o r workers a f f e c t e d by t h e shutdown. The c e n t e r o f f e r e d t h e f o ll o w in g kinds o f s e r v i c e s : (1) a l e a r n i n g c e n t e r t o improve b a s i c communication and math s k i l l s ; (2) job t r a i n ­ ing in s p e c i f i c v o c a t io n a l a r e a s , such as w e ld i n g , b l u e p r i n t r e a d i n g , e l e c t r o n i c s , g r a p h i c s , and f o r k - l i f t o p e r a t i o n s ; and (3) i n d i v i d u a l and group c o u n s e l i n g t o h elp t h e d i s p l a c e d workers make ch oices abou t t h e i r f u t u r e s ( V i r g i n i a Highlands Community C o l l e g e , 1971). The c e n t e r opened i n J u l y 1971 and soon was in f u l l o p e r a t i o n . A v i s i t i n g j o u r n a l i s t commented, Walk i n t o th e c e n t e r and y o u ' l l see 20 o r 30 middle-aged men, and o f t e n t h e i r w iv es , t o o , busy a t work on e v e r y t h i n g from math and s c i e n c e t o t y p i n g and wel din g. There a r e no formal c l a s s e s . The c e n t e r uses t h e l e a r n i n g l a b o r a t o r y app roa ch , r e l y i n g h e a v i l y on programmed i n s t r u c t i o n a l m a t e r i a l and a u d i o - v i s u a l a i d s . (Worthy, 1972, p. 9) The town o f S a l t v i l l e , in c o n j u n c t i o n with 01 in Chemical and t h e cormunity c o l l e g e , su pport ed t h e c e n t e r and i t s o p e r a t i o n . By J u l y 1972, 255 people had used t h e f a c i l i t y f o r a t o t a l o f 6,074 h o u r s. Of t h o s e , 46 had r e c e i v e d h i g h - s c h o o l - e q u i v a l e n t diplomas and 36 were p r e p a r i n g t o r e c e i v e diplomas ( C a h i l l , 1972). 56 North Central Technical College When t h e Mansfield T i r e and Rubber Company s h u t down i t s o p e r a t i o n s in August 1978, approx im ate ly 1,000 people were put out o f work. Using an e x i s t i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n e n t i t l e d P r o j e c t Care, a number o f community o r g a n i z a t i o n s j o i n e d t o g e t h e r t o a s s i s t t h e Mansfield T i r e employees. A key member o f t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n was North Centr al Technical C olleg e. The c o l l e g e ' s p r e s i d e n t , Dr. Henry F a l l e r i u s , and the Ohio S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y - M a n s f i e l d Branch dean, Dr. James Heck, formed an e d u catio n committee t o deter mine t r a i n i n g needs and t o f o rm u la t e a retraining stru ctu re. McFarland and F a l l e r i u s (1980) w r o t e , From October 16, 1978, t o October 20, 1978, app ro ximately 400 former M an sfield T i r e employees r e g i s t e r e d f o r r e t r a i n i n g . Employees o r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f each o f t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s / o r g a n i z a t i o n s involved worked on a r e l e a s e d time b a s i s t o a s s i s t th e workers in f i l l i n g o u t t h e forms. The lo c a l news media a d v e r t i s e d t h e program and t h e l o c a t i o n s o f th e r e g i s t r a t i o n centers. By Jan ua ry 1979, t r a i n i n g programs were under way i n wel ding, computer programming, b u s in e s s and o f f i c e , machine t r a d e s , c a r p e n t r y , h e a t i n g and a i r c o n d i t i o n i n g , key-punch o p e r a t i o n , s e c r e t a r i a l , s a l e s and m ar k etin g , a u to mechanics, n u r s i n g , e l e c t r i c a l - c o m m e r c i a l , and i n d u s t r i a l maintenance {Abbot, 1979). A l t o g e t h e r , 957 people r e g i s t e r e d w ith t h e p r o j e c t and n e a r l y 250 g ra d u a te d . During t h e i r time with t h e p r o j e c t , t h e ex-workers r e c e i v e d c o u n s e lin g and placement s e r v i c e s i n a d d i t i o n to t h e i r training. Through p r e p a r i n g and s u b m itt in g s e v e r a l g r a n t p r o p o s a l s , P r o j e c t Care a cq u ir ed n e a r l y $230,000 from s t a t e and f e d e r a l s ourc es to s u p p o r t th e program. By combining e f f o r t s with o t h e r community 57 members, North Cen tr al Technical College was a b l e t o pro v id e im p o rtan t services. In r e t r o s p e c t , F a l l e r i u s (1981) made s e v e r a l recommenda­ t i o n s f o r conmunity res p onse t o p l a n t c l o s i n g s and major l a y o f f s : 1. 2. 3. 4. When a b u s in e s s or m a nufacture r i s a n t i c i p a t i n g a c l o s u r e , the community should be n o t i f i e d well i n advance so as to have enough l e a d time t o cope with t h e s p e c i a l needs t h a t w i l l develop. The Mansfield T i r e and Rubber shut-down was a w ell-kept se c re t. I t s f i n a l c l o s i n g shocked n o t only th e workers b u t a l s o th e community. G r e a t e r emphasis should be plac ed on " s k i l l as se ssm en t" o f i n d i v i d u a l s . This would pro vid e a b e t t e r c a r e e r match between th e p e r s o n ' s n a t u r a l s k i l l s and new s k i l l s t h a t would be gained through a r e t r a i n i n g e f f o r t . Every e f f o r t should be made t o p r o t e c t th e p r o j e c t o p e r a t i o n from e x c e s s i v e r e d - t a p e r e p o r t i n g . This should be determined b e f o r e th e p r o j e c t ' s a c tu a l o p e r a t i o n . Community l e a d e r s , e i t h e r through th e Chamber o f Commerce, t h e M a n u fa c tu r e r s ' C o u n c i l, or l a b o r o r o t h e r o r g a n i z a t i o n s , must have a comprehensive manpower stu d y a v a i l a b l e t o guide a r e t r a i n i n g e f f o r t . Without such a s t u d y , i n d i v i d u a l s might be r e t r a i n e d f o r n o n e x i s t e n t j o b s . (p. 18) Orange County Community College Orange County Community College o f Middletown, New York, responded when t h e Ford Motor Company announced i t was c l o s i n g i t s Mahwah, New J e r s e y , p l a n t . Following some p r e p a r a t o r y work by a c o l l e g e - i n i t i a t e d t a s k f o r c e , th e community c o l l e g e planned and p r o ­ vided i n f o r m a tio n s e s s i o n s f o r t h e Ford workers . These s e s s i o n s focused on c a r e e r change, new j o b s , r e t r a i n i n g , and s e r v i c e s o f f e r e d by t h e community c o l l e g e and o t h e r e d u c a tio n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s i n t h e area. The c o l l e g e ' s c o u n s e lin g depar tment s e n t l e t t e r s to people who were i n t e r e s t e d in more i n fo r m a tio n or r e t r a i n i n g ; th ey were i n v i t e d to j o i n a four-week c a r e e r - p l a n n i n g s e s s i o n . The resp ons e t o both th e i n fo r m a ti o n and th e c a r e e r - p l a n n i n g s e s s i o n was so p o s i t i v e t h a t a d d i ­ t i o n a l meetings were schedule d. 58 Nearly 400 people a t t e n d e d t h e g e n e r a l - i n f o r m a t i o n s e s s i o n s , and 175 p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e c a r e e r - p l a n n i n g o f f e r i n g s . According t o McMahon (1981), Of t h e 175 people in th e c o u n s e l in g / g u i d a n c e s e r i e s , e i g h t u l t i m a t e l y e n r o l l e d as f u l l - t i m e s t u d e n t s a t Orange County Com­ munity College in v a r i o u s programs approved f o r s p o n s o r s h i p in th e government's Trade Readjustment Act program. Over 20 people took courses on a p a r t - t i m e b a s i s f o r t h e summer and f a l l o f 1980. Counselors e s t i m a t e t h a t 18 o r 20 e n r o l l e d in Orange County BOCES c l a s s e s and t h e remaining were r e f e r r e d t o job placement programs a t 0CCC and o t h e r a g e n c i e s . All worked c l o s e l y with th e Jobs S e r v ic e Program s t a t i o n e d in Mahwah. Con­ t i n u e d f o llow -up o f th o s e who became in volv ed in t h e 0CCC p r o ­ grams i s planned, (p. 29) Summary The l i t e r a t u r e on p l a n t c l o s i n g s and d i s p l a c e d workers p a i n t e d a r a t h e r bleak p i c t u r e : I t s u g g e s t e d t h a t th o s e who l o s e t h e i r jo bs have d i f f i c u l t y f i n d i n g o t h e r work. When th ey do f i n d employment, i t i s probably f o r l e s s money and s a t i s f a c t i o n th an they had in t h e i r pr ev io u s j o b s . Many a r e unemployed f o r an extended p e r i o d o f ti m e. Most o f t h o s e who a r e unab le t o f i n d work, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h o s e from r u r a l a r e a s , do n o t move; t h e lo n g e r th e y remain unemployed, t h e more unemployable th ey become. The young, t h e males, t h e e d u c a t e d , and t h e s k i l l e d a r e a b l e to f i n d employment more e a s i l y than o t h e r s . I f a d i s p l a c e d worker i s w i l l i n g t o a c c e p t a t r a n s f e r t o a n o t h e r p l a n t in t h e same i n d u s t r y , h e / s h e w i l l do b e t t e r than th o s e who look f o r a n o t h e r j o b o r t h o s e who r e t r a i n . W r ite rs who conducted t h e s t u d i e s reviewed i n t h i s c h a p t e r d i d n o t view r e t r a i n i n g as a p o s i t i v e o p t i o n . They d e s c r i b e d r e t r a i n i n g 59 as n o t e nco uragin g, an u n r e a l i s t i c a l t e r n a t i v e , an e x e r c i s e in f u t i l i t y , something t h a t simply did n o t pay o f f , o r something too i n s i g n i f i c a n t to be mentioned. The l i t e r a t u r e on community-college r es po nses t o p l a n t c l o s ­ ings d e s c r i b e d v a r io u s s e r v i c e s provided by t h r e e community c o l l e g e s ( V i r g i n i a Highlands Community C o lle g e , North Cen tr al Technical C o ll e g e , and Orange County Community C o l l e g e ) . Each o f t h e s e i n s t i t u t i o n s p r o ­ vided i n f o r m a t i o n , c a r e e r c o u n s e l i n g , and r e t r a i n i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s . The f i r s t two community c o l l e g e s provided s p e c i a l j o b - t r a i n i n g co urses f o r d i s p l a c e d workers. CHAPTER I I I METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY Restatement o f Purpose The purpose o f t h i s stu d y was t o i n v e s t i g a t e th e TAA-sponsored community-conege t r a i n i n g f o ll o w in g t h e Lyons/Muir C h r y s l e r P l a n t closings. The i n v e s t i g a t o r posed t h e f ollow ing q u e s ti o n s conc er ning the tra in in g : 1. What were th e g o a ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s ? 2. What happened and how did i t happen? 3. What were t h e p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes? a. Educational achievement b. Rea ctions t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s c. Employment s t a t u s d. P e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t Choosing a Research Approach Choosing a r e s e a r c h approach i s an i m p o r t a n t , but n o t e a s y , task. Since t h e de sig n d e t e r m in e s , t o a l a r g e e x t e n t , a l l o f th e f o ll o w i n g s t e p s i n a s t u d y , t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r must make d e c i s i o n s ab out th e design e a r l y on. Numerous s t r a t e g i e s a r e a v a i l a b l e ; t h e r e seems t o be a r a t h e r d i s t i n c t t h e o r e t i c a l s p l i t between th e a n a l y t i c a l approaches (Campbell & S t a n l e y , 1971), which focus on d i s c r e t e causes and e f f e c t s , and t h e h o l i s t i c approaches (Schatzman & S t r a u s s , 1973), which focus on complex webs o f s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l i n t e r a c t i o n . 60 61 The pur e s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t , whose audience c o n s i s t s mainly o f r e a d e r s o f p r o f e s s i o n a l j o u r n a l s , i s i n t e r e s t e d in enhancing t h e body o f knowledge in a d i s c i p l i n e , and h e / s h e w i l l choose ind ependent v a r i ­ a b l e s on t h e b a s i s o f pr ev io u s t h e o r i e s and hypothes es. In c o n t r a s t , t h e a p p l i e d s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t , whose au dien ce comprises t h o s e who com­ m ission r e s e a r c h , as well as o t h e r p a r t i s a n s , i n f l u e n t i a l s , and p o l i c y d e c i s i o n makers, i s i n t e r e s t e d i n dev elo ping s o l u t i o n s t o r e a l - w o r l d problems; h e / s h e w i l l choose t o deal w ith manipulable v a r i a b l e s t h a t a r e amenable t o p o l i c y i n t e r v e n t i o n ( R o s s i , Wr ight, & Wr ig ht, 1978). B r i t a n (1978) wrote t h a t , under th e exp er im en tal model, t h e e v a l u a t o r assumes t h a t e x p l i c i t program goa ls can be i s o l a t e d and t h a t t h e r e s u l t s o f t r e a t m e n t can be q u a n t i t a t i v e l y measured. He s u g g e s t e d t h a t i n v e s t i g a t o r s using t h e experimental model t r e a t a c t i o n programs as i f th e y were l a b o r a t o r i e s o f s o c i a l change in which s p e ­ c i f i c t r e a t m e n t s a r e always expected t o y i e l d p a r t i c u l a r r e s u l t s . Contextual e v a l u a t o r s , on t h e o t h e r hand, t r e a t a c t i o n programs as ongoing s o c i a l r e a l i t i e s . By un d e r sta n d in g program p r o c e s s e s , con­ t e x t u a l e v a l u a t o r s a t t e m p t t o e x p l a i n how a program has de veloped, what i t d oes , and how i t can be a l t e r e d . Contextual e v a l u a t i o n o f t e n p r o v id e s t h e b a s i s f o r l a t e r exp er im en tal asse ssm en t by d e l i n e a t i n g goals and r e s u l t s needed f o r making l o g i c a l i n f e r e n c e s . According to B ritan , I n s t e a d o f i s o l a t i n g s p e c i f i c causes and e f f e c t s , such c o n t e x tu a l e v a l u a t i o n s t r y t o comprehend l a r g e r systems and r e l a t i o n s h i p s . They do not seek u n ic a u s a l l i n k s among one-dimensional v a r i a b l e s , b u t ask a more b a s i c q u e s t i o n : "What i s going on h ere?" While an exp er im en tal approach assumes t h a t a c t i o n programs can t e s t g e n e r a l i z a b l e t h e o r e t i c a l p r o p o s i t i o n s , c o n te x tu a l e v a l u a t i o n s 62 a r e , f i r s t o f a l l , e x p l o r a t o r y , and assume t h a t v a l i d t h e o r e t i ­ cal q u e s ti o n s themselves must s t i l l be f o r m u l a t e d , (p. 230) B r i t a n a l s o d e s c r i b e d th e purposes o f each approach: Experimental e v a l u a t i o n s r e l a t e program t r e a t m e n ts t o p r o ­ gram outcomes w i t h o u t d i r e c t l y examining causal p r o c e s s e s . Judg­ ments ab out program e f f e c t i v e n e s s a r e made through c o n t r o l l e d comparisons o f r e s u l t s which assume uni- di m en sion al program goals and t r e a t m e n t s . As a r e s u l t , f i n d i n g s a r e c l e a r and p r e c i s e , b u t sometimes o v e r l y s i m p l i f i e d . Contextual e v a l u a t i o n s i n v e s t i g a t e ca us al r e l a t i o n s h i p s between program t r e a t m e n t s and outcomes by d i r e c t l y examining t h e pr ocess es through which r e s u l t s a r e a c h iev ed . Program g o a l s , t r e a t m e n t s and r e s u l t s a r e seen as m u l t i - d i m e n s i o n a l , and d i f f e r e n c e s i n program suc ce ss a r e e x p ecte d . Thus, c o n t e x t u a l e v a l u a t i o n s pr ovid e i n depth (though sometimes o v e r l y s u b j e c t i v e ) f i n d i n g s , (p. 231) F i n a l l y , B r i t a n suggested t h a t t h e c h o ice o f r e s e a r c h approach can be based on such program c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s as g o a l s , t h e o r y , and results. I f go als a r e narrow, th e o r y very c l e a r , and r e s u l t s s p e c i f i c , t h e program len ds i t s e l f to exp er imen tal e v a l u a t i o n p r o c e d u r e s . If goals a r e b r oad, t h e o r y f u z z y , and r e s u l t s d i f f u s e , c o n te x tu a l e v a l u a ­ t i o n i s t h e r e a s o n a b l e p rocedure . Because t h e r e a r e a number o f combinations o f program c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s between t h e two e x t r e m e s , th e r e s e a r c h e r needs to choose t h e most a p p r o p r i a t e procedure . The TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g f o llo w in g t h e C h r y s le r P l a n t c l o s i n g was based on a number o f g o a l s , i t was not based on any s p e c i f i c t h e o r y , and t h e a c t u a l as well as expe cted r e s u l t s were d i f f u s e . These f a c t s would i n d i c a t e c o n te x tu a l o r a p p l i e d s o c i a l - s c i e n c e r e s e a r c h as t h e recommended proc ed ure f o r investigation. T h e o r e t i c a l l y , t h e w r i t e r ag re ed w ith t h i s t h i n k i n g and was f a v o r a b l y i n c l i n e d toward an e th n o g r a p h i c app ro ac h. But because th e r e s e a r c h was i n i t i a t e d a f t e r program com pleti on , t h i s p r e s e n te d l i m i t a t i o n s to co nducting a t r u e eth n o g r a p h ic s t u d y . The 63 major l i m i t a t i o n s were an i n a b i l i t y t o have prolonged c o n t a c t wit h s tu dy-grou p members and, t h e r e f o r e , a r e s t r i c t e d p o t e n t i a l f o r dev elop ing an e x p la n a to r y framework in t h e i n f o r m a n t s ' own e n v i r o n ­ ment. According t o Agar (1980), when t h e s e two a s p e c t s a r e m i s s i n g , t h e s tu dy i s not an ethnography. However, many f i e l d - r e s e a r c h t e c h ­ n i q u e s , such as s u r v e y i n g , i n t e r v i e w i n g , and document re v i e w i n g , were p o s s i b l e and could be p r a c t i c a l l y implemented through t h e c a s e - d e s i g n method. Because cas e design focu se s on a p a r t i c u l a r p lace and time w it h o u t p la cin g s t r i n g e n t l i m i t a t i o n s on method, i t was compatible with t h i s r e s e a r c h e r ' s d e s i r e t o i n v e s t i g a t e and d e s c r i b e c o n t e x t as well as pr oduct. "E valuators t y p i c a l l y use cas e des ig n to answer q u e s ti o n s t h a t ask f o r d e s c r i p t i o n s o f a pr og ram 's p a r t i c i p a n t s , goals and r e s u l t s " (Fink & Kosecoff, 1978, p. 15 ). Therefore, the present i n v e s t i g a t o r chose t h e c a s e - s t u d y approach because o f i t s a b i l i t y t o s u p p o rt th e kind o f i n v e s t i g a t i o n needed t o answer t h e r e s e a r c h q u e s ­ t i o n s posed i n t h i s research. Case s t u d i e s may be s e t up in one o f two ways. F i r s t , th ey can be ar ra nged t o t e s t a given h y p o th e sis on a s e l e c t e d system. Under t h i s f o r m a t, a p a r t i c u l a r i n s t a n c e i s drawn from a c l a s s ; t h e r e s u l t s o f t h i s ty p e o f s tu d y tend t o lead toward g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s about the c la s s . The second manner o f a r r a n g i n g cas e s t u d i e s i s t o choose a given system w i t h i n which an i s s u e w i l l be i n d i c a t e d , d i s c o v e r e d , o r s t u d i e d so t h a t a b e t t e r u n d e rstanding o f t h e ca s e may be developed. From t h i s ty pe o f s t u d y , g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s te n d t o be made abou t t h e case. "In i t s most s i g n i f i c a n t form, g e n e r a l i z a t i o n about t h e ca se 64 promotes g e n e r a l i z a t i o n from c a s e t o ca se" (Adelman, J e n k i n s , & Kemmis, 1976, p. 142). The p r e s e n t work i s an example o f t h e second type o f s t u d y , i t s primary purpose being t o promote a f u l l u n d e r sta n d in g o f t h e p a r ­ t ic u la r case. The most l o g i c a l c a s e - t o - c a s e g e n e r a l i z a t i o n t o be drawn from t h i s stu d y i s i t s a p p l i c a b i l i t y t o o t h e r people who have been v i c t i m i z e d by p l a n t c l o s i n g s and t o community c o l l e g e s p r o v id ­ ing s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s during and a f t e r p l a n t shutdowns. P o p u la t io n The c a s e - s t u d y approach allows a good deal o f freedom, which can be p r o b le m a ti c . I f l i m i t a t i o n s and g u i d e l i n e s a r e n o t s e t , th e s tu d y can wander e n d l e s s l y . a r e not easy t o do. As Adelman e t a l . w r o te , "Case s t u d i e s (Some o f our b e s t f r i e n d s a r e p r e s e n t l y tr a p p e d i n s i d e cas e s t u d i e s , t r y i n g t o g et o u t . u n s c a t h e d . ) 11 (p. 143). Almost none w i l l escape T h e r e f o r e , l i m i t s a r e needed. The d i s p l a c e d workers from t h e Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t had numerous o p t i o n s because th e TAA program provided a v a r i e t y o f s e r ­ vices. In t h i s s t u d y , however, th e r e s e a r c h e r looked only a t t h e tra in in g option. institutions. Those who chose t r a i n i n g could a t t e n d a number o f This w r i t e r was concerned with t h e 150 workers who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community C o lle g e . two r e a s o n s : These workers were chosen f o r (1) t h i s group in c lu d e d t h e major p o r t i o n o f a l l who chose t r a i n i n g , ^ and (.2) i t was p o s s i b l e f o r t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r t o gain ^According t o s t a t i s t i c s from th e I o n ia o f f i c e o f th e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission, ap proxim a te ly 60 p e r c e n t o f a l l Lyons C h r y s le r t r a i n e e s a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community C o lle g e . 65 ac c e s s to t h e n e c e s s a r y d a ta abou t t h i s p o p u la ti o n and i t s e n v i r o n ­ ment t o answer th e r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s . Figure 4 i s a g r a p h i c r e p r e ­ s e n t a t i o n o f t h e focus o f t h e s t u d y . Trade Adjustment A s s i s ta n c e x X ' X N ' ' N X X \ x s X X \ v N X . S N ' " s " x. ' ' * "* x \ " T r a d e Readjustment Allowances ' Job-Search Allowances x x N ' s ' R e lo c a ti o n Allowances X Employment S er v ic es X X \ Grand Rapids J u n i o r College Proprietary Schools x T r a i n i n g &T r a in in g Allowances Montcalm Community College High School Completion Other Lansing Community College Figure 4 . —The study group i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e t o t a l C h r y s le r TAA recipients. Whereas t h e 150 t r a i n e e s were t h e primary focus o f t h e s t u d y , s t a f f members from Montcalm Community C olleg e and t h e I onia o f f i c e 66 o f t h e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission a l s o s e r v e d as c e n t r a l in f o r m a t io n s ourc es f o r t h e s tu d y . D a t a - C o l l e c t i o n Procedures The term "cas e s tu dy" does n o t i n d i c a t e s p e c i f i c methods because i t i s n o t an i n c l u s i v e name f o r a s ta n d a r d package. Rather, i t i s an umbrella term f o r a fa m il y o f r e s e a r c h methods having in common t h e d e c i s i o n t o focus an i n q u i r y on a p a r t i c u l a r i n s t a n c e (Adelman e t a l . , 1 9 7 6 ) . Proceeding with t h e stu d y c a l l e d f o r t h e development o f s p e c i f i c i n f o r m a t i o n - c o l l e c t i o n p l a n s . As t h e i n v e s t i ­ g a t o r developed t h e s e p l a n s , he used two te ch n iq u es t o g a in maximum in f o r m a t io n and t o e n s u r e ac c u r a c y : three levels of s p e c if ic ity : (1) In fo rm at ion was g a t h e r e d a t f i r s t from a broad p e r s p e c t i v e , second from a more focused p e r s p e c t i v e , and t h i r d from a p e r s p e c t i v e with t h e most s p e c i f i c f o c u s ; and (2) t r i a n g u l a t i o n (Gordon, 1980), i . e . , using m u l t i p l e methods t o c r o s s - c h e c k and supplement each o t h e r , was a p p l i e d a t each l e v e l . A s che matic r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e s e te c h n iq u e s i s given in Figures 5 and 6. Procedure in Level I As shown i n Figure 5, informal d i s c u s s i o n ; w r i t t e n documents, i n c l u d i n g meeting m in u t e s ; and news-media acco un ts were used t o e s t a b ­ l i s h th e s e t t i n g o f th e s tu d y . The informal d i s c u s s i o n s were he ld with s t a f f members from Montcalm Community Colleg e and MESC, as well as with program p a r t i c i p a n t s . MESC documents d e s c r i b i n g t h e i r s e r ­ v i c e s , TAA a u t h o r i z a t i o n , and TAA g u i d e l i n e s were c o n s i d e r e d , as were Montcalm Community College c a t a l o g s , program g u i d e s , and a c c r e d i t a t i o n 67 LEVEL I S e t t i n g o f th e Study ( D i s c u s s i o n s , documents, and news-media e x c e r p t s ) LEVEL I I Program Process (Interviews) LEVEL I I I Outcomes (Survey & Records) Fig ure 5 . —Schematic r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e d a t a - g a t h e r i n g approach used i n t h i s s t u d y . LEVEL I Informal Dis cu ss ion W ritt en Documents & Meeting Minutes News-Media Accounts LEVEL II P a r t i c i p a n t I n te rv iew s Process MCC S t a f f I n te rv ie w s MESC S t a f f I n te rv ie w s LEVEL I I I Follow-Up Survey MCC Reco MESC Records Fig ure 6 , —T r i a n g u l a t i o n . 68 v i s i t information. Since a g r e a t deal o f i n fo r m a tio n was c o l l e c t e d through minutes o f meetings and from newspapers, i t was n e c e s s a r y t o d e v i s e a system f o r reviewing t h e s e m a t e r i a l s . Meeting minutes were c a t e g o r i z e d by s u b j e c t and ar ra nged ac c o r d in g t o t h e i r r e le v a n c e to the s t u d y , in s i m i l a r f a s h i o n , newspaper ac co un ts were d i v i d e d i n t o four categories: (1) program p a r t i c i p a n t s , (2) Lyons, (3) Io nia County, and (4) C h r y s le r C o r p o r a tio n . These were s o r t e d c h r o n o l o g i c ­ a l l y and then ord ered acco rdin g t o t h e i r r e l e v a n c e to t h e s tu d y . Procedure in Level I I I n te rv ie w s were used t o c o l l e c t t h e i n f o r m a ti o n in Level I I . (See Appendix B f o r i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n n a i r e s . ) sample comprised 18 p e o p le . The p r o g r a m - p a r t i c i p a n t (The i n v e s t i g a t o r was a b l e t o s chedule in t e r v i e w s with only 15 o f t h e 1 8.) So t h a t th e d a ta gained could be g e n e r a l i z e d t o th e t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n , members o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t sample were randomly s e l e c t e d . The f o u r MESC in t e r v i e w e e s were chosen because o f t h e i r knowledge about and involvement in t h e TAA program. Two o f them worked d i r e c t l y with th e TAA s e r v i c e s and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . When th e program ended, t h e i r p o s i t i o n s ended, and they were t r a n s ­ f e r r e d t o o t h e r a g en cie s in Michigan. The two o t h e r MESC i n t e r v i e w e e s , t h e I o n ia branch manager and th e o f f i c e manager, were r e s p o n s i b l e f o r o v e r a l l s u p e r v i s i o n o f t h e I onia MESC, i n c l u d i n g t h e TAA. The f o u r Montcalm Community College in t e r v i e w e e s were a l s o chosen because o f t h e i r knowledge about and involvement i n t h e TAA program. One had been t h e c o l l e g e ' s d i r e c t o r o f admissions and had serv ed on t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Council from J u ly 1979 through June 1981. One was th e c o u n s e lo r who worked with t h e TAA p a r t i c i p a n t s as they 69 developed t h e i r plans f o r s tu dy and wh ile they a t t e n d e d t h e program. Another was t h e i n s t r u c t i o n a l a d m i n i s t r a t o r r e s p o n s i b l e f o r occupa­ tional education. The f i n a l Montcalm Community College i n t e r v i e w e e was t h e c o l l e g e p r e s i d e n t . ^ P r o g r a m - p a r t i c i p a n t i n t e r v i e w e e s were asked t o d i s c u s s t h e i r a c t i o n s , th o s e o f o t h e r p a r t i c i p a n t s , th o s e o f th e MESC, and those o f Montcalm Community College as t h e program p r o g r e s s e d . Agency-staff- member in t e r v i e w e e s were asked t o l i s t program goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s and t o d i s c u s s t h e i r own a c t i o n s , th o s e o f t h e i r agency, t h o s e o f the o t h e r agency, and th o s e o f th e p a r t i c i p a n t s . They were a l s o asked to make recommendations f o r improvements, which a r e i n clu d ed i n th e recommendations in Chapter V. Procedures in Level I I I Demographic and e d u c a ti o n a l i n f o r m a tio n on a l l 150 t r a i n i n g program p a r t i c i p a n t s was c o l l e c t e d from t h e i r r e c o r d s . were used t o v e r i f y some o f t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n . MESC rec ord s Included in t h i s r e c o rd review was i n fo r m a t io n abou t s e x , a g e, s t a r t i n g d a t e , program o f s t u d y , c r e d i t hours completed, and grade p o i n t av e r a g e . (The r e s u l t s o f t h e s e r e cord reviews a r e c o n t a in e d i n Appendix C.) On February 12, 1982, 146 surveys were s e n t ( a d d re s s e s could n o t be o b ta i n e d f o r f o u r o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) . completed su rvey s were r e t u r n e d . Within two weeks, 56 On March 1, 1982, a second m a i l i n g , i n c l u d i n g a copy o f th e s u r v e y , was s e n t t o t h o s e who had not y e t ^Of t h e e i g h t a g e n c y - s t a f f i n t e r v i e w e e s , only t h r e e remained i n t h e same jo b s in March 1982 (one had r e t i r e d , two had taken work with o t h e r a g e n c i e s , and two had been t r a n s f e r r e d t o o t h e r o f f i c e s in Michigan). 70 resp ond ed . returned. Within two weeks, 40 more completed q u e s t i o n n a i r e s were During t h e week o f March 15- 1 9 , an a t t e m p t was made t o c o n t a c t t h e rem aining 50 nonresp ondents by t e l e p h o n e . Of t h e 22 pe op le who were r e a c h e d , 7 r e t u r n e d s u r v e y s by March 31, b r i n g i n g t h e t o t a l t o 103, f o r a r e s p o n s e r a t e o f 70 .5 p e r c e n t . (Copies o f c o r ­ r es po nden ce may be found in Appendix D.) Data were c o l l e c t e d i n f o u r c a t e g o r i e s : (1) g o a ls and ex p ec­ t a t i o n s , (2) r e a c t i o n t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s , (3) employment s t a t u s , and (4) p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t s . Appendix E f o r a copy o f t h e su rv ey i n s t r u m e n t . ) (See I n f o r m a ti o n on goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s was g a t h e r e d by a s k in g each p a r t i c i p a n t t o i n d i c a t e h i s / h e r p r i m a r y , s e c o n d a r y , and t e r t i a r y re a so n s f o r d e c i d i n g t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e commun ity-college t r a i n i n g program. The items i n t h e s e c t i o n c o n c e r n ­ ing r e a c t i o n s t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s were developed based on d i s c u s s i o n s w ith Montcalm Community C o ll e g e s t a f f members, t h e S t u d e n t R ea ctio n s t o C o ll e g e s u r v e y i n s t r u m e n t ( E d u c a tio n a l T e s t i n g S e r v i c e , 197 4 ) , t h e IRC Model f o r I n p u t- O u t p u t A n a l y s i s o f S t u d e n t Personnel S e r v i c e s (W a tt e n b a rg e r & N ick en s, 19 73) , and Program Review i n Occ up ational Education (Michigan Department o f E d u c a t io n , 1979 ). Items in t h e e m p l o y m e n t -s ta tu s s e c t i o n were dev elo ped from t h e l o g i c a l f u l l - and p a r t - t i m e employment o p t i o n s a v a i l a b l e t o program p a r t i c i p a n t s and t h e kind s o f d a t a t y p i c a l l y c o l l e c t e d i n MESC s t u d i e s . Items i n t h e s e c t i o n on p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t s were based p r i m a r i l y on i n i t i a l i n f o r m a t i o n g a t h e r e d c o n c e r n in g program g o a ls and e x p e c t a ­ tions. 71 To v e r i f y t h e r e l i a b i l i t y o f each item concerning t h e p e r c e p ­ t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and t o i d e n t i f y an o v e r a l l alpha l e v e l f o r t h i s s e c t i o n , a r e l i a b i l i t y t e s t was conducted. The t e s t showed an o v e r a l l alpha o f .83552, which could be r a i s e d t o a h i g h e r l e v e l by d e l e t i n g Items 5 and 12. T h e r e f o r e , t h o s e two items were not incl uded i n th e s t a t i s t i c a l computations co ncerning p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . To compare t h e demographic make-up and e d u c a t i o n a l a c h i e v e ­ ment o f t h e re sp o n d e n t group with t h a t o f t h e nonrespondent group, a n a l y s i s - o f - v a r i a n c e t e s t s were run on th e a g e , c r e d i t - h o u r s - c o m p l e t e d , and g r a d e - p o i n t - a v e r a g e d a t a ; c h i - s q u a r e t e s t s were run on t h e sex and b e g i n n i n g - d a t e - o f - t r a i n i n g d a ta between t h e two gro ups. Although t h e r e was no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e a t t h e .05 l e v e l between t h e two groups in terms o f a g e , c r e d i t hours co mpleted, s e x , o r beginning date o f t r a i n i n g , t h e r e was a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e i r grade-point averages. Respondents Nonrespondents Mean 5.D. M 2.93 2.59 .759 .863 101 47 F = 5.8805 S i g . = .0165 Figure 7 shows th e d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n p l a n . By r e a d i n g from l e f t t o r i g h t , one can s e e t h e development o f t h e plan from th e r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s , to s o u rc e s o f i n f o r m a t i o n , t o d a t a - c o l l e c t i o n t e c h n i q u e s , through t h e p o p u l a t i o n and samples. Q uestions What were th e g o als & ex p ecta­ tio n s ? What hap­ pened and how did i t hap­ pen? Sources o f Inform ation C o lle c tio n Technique D.O.L. (MESC) Governmental documents MESC (TAA) s t a f f Document review Interview s II Interview q u e stio n n a ire 4 se le c te d s t a f f Conut. C o ll. Com. c o lle g e documents Com. c o lle g e s t a f f Document review Interview s III In terview q u e stio n n a ire 4 se le c te d s t a f f P a rti c i pants W ritten m a te ria ls P a rtic ip a n ts Document review Survey I-D survey 150 MCC-TAA stu d e n ts Y D.O.L. j. (MESC) MESC records MESC (TAA) s t a f f Record review Interview II In terview q u e stio n n a ire 4 se le c te d s t a f f p Com. c o lle g e records Com. c o lle g e s t a f f Record review Interview III Interview q u e stio n n a ire 4 se le c te d s t a f f Newspapers Newspaper reviews P a rtic ip a n ts Interview IV Interview q u estio n n a ire 18 random sample MCC TAA stu d e n ts Educational achievement Com. c o lle g e records Record reviews F ile search 150 MCC TAA stu d e n ts R eaction to c o lle g e s e rv ic e s P a rtic ip a n ts Survey I-A survey 150 MCC TAA stu d e n ts Employment s ta tu s P a rtic ip a n ts Survey I-B survey 150 MCC TAA stu d e n ts P ercep tio n s o f program b e n e fit P a rti c i pants Survey I-C survey 150 MCC TAA stu d e n ts V I E W P 0 1 N T S q Cornu. C o ll. I N T P a rtic iS pants What were th e p a r­ tic ip a n t outcomes? Instrum ent Figure 7 . — D a t a - c o l l e c t i o n procedures. Sample 73 Data-A na lysis Procedures The r e s e a r c h e r used s e v e r a l pr oc ed ur es t o anal yze t h e d ata c o l l e c t e d i n t h i s s tu d y . From t h e in f o r m a tio n d e s c r i b i n g go als and e x p e c t a t i o n s , he developed p r i o r i t y l i s t s f o r each group (MESC, com­ munity c o l l e g e , and p a r t i c i p a n t s ) , based on th e number o f times t o p i c s were mentioned and t h e amount o f emphasis place d on each t o p i c . Using t h e s e l i s t s , t h e r e s e a r c h e r f orm ulated common and c o n f l i c t i n g goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s among t h e d i f f e r e n t groups. These a r e d i s c u s s e d i n Chapter IV. In a d d i t i o n t o th e i n f o r m a t i o n provided by t h e t h r e e groups d e s c r i b i n g what happened and how i t happened ( e m ic ) , t h e w r i t e r p r e ­ s e n te d a f o u r t h p o i n t o f view ( e t i c ) . This approach p r e s e n t s th e data from an o b s e r v a t i o n a l p o i n t r a t h e r th a n from th e view o f th o s e who were s u b j e c t i v e l y involved i n t h e program. I t sho uld be noted t h a t a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l l i n g u i s t s have used t h e words "emic" and " e t i c " i n p l a c e o f " o b j e c t i v e " and " s u b j e c t i v e . " H a r r i s (1979) e x p l a i n e d , Sin ce both t h e o b s e r v e r ' s p o i n t o f view and th e p a r t i c i p a n t ' s p o i n t o f view can be p r e s e n t e d o b j e c t i v e l y o r s u b j e c t i v e l y , depending on t h e adequacy o f t h e e m p ir ic a l o p e r a t i o n s employed by t h e o b s e r v e r , we ca nn ot use t h e words " o b j e c t i v e " and "sub­ j e c t i v e " t o denote th e o p t i o n i n q u e s t i o n w it h o u t c r e a t i n g a g r e a t deal o f c o n f u s i o n , (p. 32) One p o r t i o n o f t h e surv ey used t o g a t h e r i n f o r m a ti o n about p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes d e a l t w ith r e a c t i o n s t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s . In r espons e t o a s e r i e s o f s t u d e n t - s e r v i c e goal s t a t e m e n t s , p a r t i c i p a n t s were asked t o i n d i c a t e how much importance should have been plac ed on each s e r v i c e and th en t o i n d i c a t e how much importance was a c t u a l l y p laced on t h a t s e r v i c e . The r e s u l t s were c o n s id e re d and d e s c r i b e d in 74 terms o f t h e d is c r e p a n c y between what should have been and what a c t u a l l y was. (The r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e two was t e s t e d by means o f a Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n . ) The f i r s t two s e t s o f in fo r m a tio n (g o a ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s and what happened and how i t happened) and t h e p o r t i o n o f t h e survey con­ c e r n i n g r e a c t i o n s to c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s were used t o d e s c r i b e a p a r ­ t i c u l a r TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g program. z a t i o n s about t h e cas e were based on th o s e d a t a . G enerali­ I n fo r m ati o n from th e remaining p o r t i o n s o f t h e survey was used to t e s t a s e t o f p r o p o s i t i o n s and t o ad d r e ss a s e r i e s o f q u e s t i o n s . The r e s e a r c h e r in t e n d e d t h a t t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e s e t e s t s could s e r v e as a b a s i s f o r g e n e r a l i z i n g from c a s e t o c a s e , y e t he re co gnized t h e l i m i t a t i o n s conce rn ing such generalizations. As Babbie (1973) i n d i c a t e d , " U l t i m a t e l y , th e r e s e a r c h e r e x e c u ti n g a ca s e study t y p i c a l l y seeks i n s i g h t s t h a t w i l l have a more g e n e r a l i z e d a p p l i c a b i l i t y beyond t h e s i n g l e cas e under s t u d y , but t h e ca s e stu d y i t s e l f ca nn ot a s s u r e t h i s " ( p . 37 ). P r o p o s i t i o n s and Research Questions The i n v e s t i g a t o r did n o t a tt e m p t t o e s t a b l i s h c a u s a t i o n o r t o measure e f f e c t because t h a t would n o t be a p p r o p r i a t e in t h i s ty p e o f study. I n s t e a d , he posed t h e f o ll o w i n g p r o p o s i t i o n s , based p r i m a r i l y on review o f t h e l i t e r a t u r e , t o i n d i c a t e expec ted outcomes concerning d i s p l a c e d wor ker s. The r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s t h a t fo ll o w t h e p r o p o s i ­ t i o n s were developed t o ad d r e ss c e r t a i n i s s u e s conce rn ing TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g . 75 Propositions 1. Male d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in g a in in g employment than females. 2. Disp lac ed workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in g a in in g employment than th o s e who s t a r t late. 3. Younger d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in gain ing employment th an those who a r e o l d e r . 4. Displaced workers who a t t a i n h i g h e r community-college gradep o i n t aver ag es w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l i n ga i n in g employment than th o s e who a t t a i n lower g r a d e s . Questions V. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e communityc o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t av erages o f male and female d i s p l a c e d workers? 2. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e communityc o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t averages o f th e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and t h o s e who s t a r t l a t e ? 3. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e communityc o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t averages and t h e ages of t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? 4. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f male and female d i s p l a c e d workers? 5. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r c e p tio n s o f program b e n e f i t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and th o s e who s t a r t l a t e ? 6. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who ga in employ­ ment and t h o s e who do not? 7. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p e r c e p ­ t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and t h e age o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? 8. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p e r c e p ­ t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and t h e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t av erage o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? 76 Fig ure 8 shows t h e d a t a - a n a l y s i s plan f o r a l l o f th e in fo rma­ t i o n g a th e r e d in t h e s t u d y . Data from t h r e e o f t h e f o u r s e t s o f in fo r m atio n r e g a r d i n g p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes ( e d u c a tio n a l achievement, employment s t a t u s , and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t ) were used t o t e s t t h e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s and e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s t i o n s . Summary In Chapter I I I t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r d i s c u s s e d t h e r e s e a r c h methods employed i n t h i s s t u d y . By r a i s i n g a s e t o f r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s , he p o in t e d to t h e purpose o f t h e s t u d y . A fter considering the strengths and l i m i t a t i o n s o f a n a l y t i c a l and h o l i s t i c methods, he e x p l a in e d why t h e c a s e - s t u d y approach was chosen. The i n v e s t i g a t o r d e s c r i b e d th e p o p u l a t i o n and pr oce dur es under stu d y and showed t h a t th ey were only a p o r t i o n o f th e t o t a l TAA r e c i p i e n t s and s e r v i c e s f o llo w i n g t h e Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t c l o s i n g . He r e l a t e d how i n fo r m a t io n was c o l l e c t e d a t t h r e e l e v e l s d e a l i n g with t h e s e t t i n g , t h e p r o c e s s , and t h e outcomes o f t h e TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . He a l s o t o l d how d a t a from t h e stu d y were analyzed through t h e use o f d e s c r i p t i v e as well as s t a t i s t i c a l pro c e d u re s . Questions Design Source o f Information A nalysis Methods What were th e goals and e xp e c ta tio ns? Case design Governmental documents MESC (TAA) s t a f f Community-college documents Community-college s t a f f Written m a te ria ls P a r tic i p a n ts I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f common and c o n f l i c t i n g expectation s MESC records MESC (TAA) s t a f f Community-college records Comnunity-college s t a f f Newspapers P a r tic i p a n ts D escription o f what happened and how i t happened from a fo urth p o in t o f view ( e t i c ) P a r tic ip a n ts Discrepancy between what was and what should have been P a r tic ip a n ts Chi square: r e la tio n s h ip s between v a r i a b l e s —sex 8 employment s t a t u s , s t a r t i n g date 8 employment s t a t u s t - t e s t s : independent v a r i a b l e — employment s t a t u s ; dependent variables**age 8 GPA What happened and how did i t happen? What were th e p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes? Reactions to College Services Employment Status T raining Program Case design T raining Program Case design Proqram P a r tic ip a n ts V ariab le: re a c tio n s to c o l ­ leg e s e rv ic e s V ariab les: s e x , age, s t a r t ­ ing d a t e , GPA, and employ­ ment s t a t u s Educational Achievement V a ria b le s : s e x , age, s t a r t i n g d a t e , and GPA Community-college records t - t e s t s : independent v a r i a b l e s s e x , s t a r t i n g d a te ; dependent v a r ia b le GPA Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n : age 8 GPA Perceptions o f Program Benefits V a ria b le s: sex, age, s t a r t ­ ing d a t e , GPA, employment s t a t u s , & p o s itiv e percep tion s o f program b e n e f it P a r tic i p a n ts t - t e s t s : in d e p e n d e n tv a r ia b le s s e x , s t a r t i n g d a t e , employment s t a t u s ; dependent v a r i a b l e p o s it iv e perceptions o f program b e n e f i t ; Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n : age 8 p e r c e p tio n s , GPA 8 p e r ­ ceptions Figure 8 . —D a t a - a n a ly si s plan. CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND ANALYSIS R e s u lts During F e b r u a ry , March, and A pr il 1982, i n f o r m a tio n was c o l l e c t e d by i n t e r v i e w i n g 4 MESC s t a f f members, 4 Montcalm Community College s t a f f members, and 15 program p a r t i c i p a n t s and by review ing s t u d e n t r e c o rd s and co nducting a fo llow -up survey o f t h e 150 p a r t i c i ­ pants. Info rm ati on was c o l l e c t e d so t h a t t h e g o a ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f each group could be i d e n t i f i e d , t h e program pr o c e ss could be d e s c r i b e d from th e view po in t of each group, and knowledge o f f o u r p a r t i c i p a n t outcomes could be g a i n e d . These outcomes were as f o l l o w s : (1) e d u c a t i o n a l achiev em en t, (2) r e a c t i o n t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s , (3) employment s t a t u s , and (4) p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . Goals and E x p e c t a tio n s Most o f t h e d a t a on MESC and Montcalm Community C ollege goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s came from t h e s t a f f i n t e r v i e w s . were used as s u p p o r t . Agency documents Three q u e s t i o n s were r a i s e d ab ou t each agency: (1) Why d id i t g e t in volved? (2) What did i t i n t e n d t o do f o r o r w it h t h e TAA t r a i n e e s ? and (3) What kind o f r e s u l t d id i t ex p e c t from t h e TAA program? Data on p a r t i c i p a n t goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s came from t h e Montcalm Community C olleg e TAA-student survey and from p a r t i c i p a n t interview s. Each survey r e s p o n d e n t i n d i c a t e d , in o r d e r o f p r i o r i t y , 78 79 h i s / h e r r ea so ns f o r d e c i d i n g to e n r o l l i n t h e TAA program and a l s o provided in f o r m a t i o n concerning o v e r a l l program b e n e f i t . This i n f o r ­ mation was s u p p o rted and expanded upon by p a r t i c i p a n t - i n t e r v i e w d a t a . Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission. —Why d i d MESC g e t involved i n t h e TAA program? All t h e MESC in t e r v i e w e e s p o in te d t o th e f a c t t h a t MESC involvement was mandated by law. As d e s c r i b e d in Chapter I , MESC, as an arm o f t h e f e d e r a l Department o f Labor, i s l e g a l l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r implementing TAA s e r v i c e s f o r d i s p l a c e d work­ ers. A major g o a l , t h e n , o f th e personnel a t t h e I onia o f f i c e o f th e MESC was to meet t h e f e d e r a l g u i d e l i n e s as th ey provided s e r v i c e s f o r t h e former Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t workers . What did MESC in t e n d to do f o r o r with t h e TAA t r a i n e e s ? The MESC i n t e r v i e w e e s d e s c r i b e d r e g u l a r employment s e r v i c e s and t h e s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s pro vided by TAA f u n d s. The f i r s t p r i o r i t y was t o f i n d jo bs and p l a c e d i s p l a c e d workers in them. I t was o b v i o u s , however, t h a t t h e chances o f immediate s ucc es s a t j o b placement were n o t good. There was no i d e n t i f i a b l e need f o r sewing-machine o p e r a t o r s ( t h e s k i l l p o s ses sed by most o f t h e d i s p l a c e d w o r k e r s ) . The second p r i o r i t y o f t h e MESC was t o pr ovid e s u p p o r t i v e s e r v i c e s . According t o one resp ond­ e n t , "We were committed to t h e i d e a t h a t we would g iv e more th an l i p s e r v i c e ; t h e s e people had p a id t a x e s because o f t h e i r good j o b s and now th e y were e l i g i b l e . " The MESC personnel i n t e n d e d t o inform a l l T A A-e ligible people o f a v a i l a b l e b e n e f i t s , to p r o c e ss claim s as they were p r e s e n t e d , t o a r r a n g e f o r payment o f b e n e f i t s , t o make jo b r e f e r r a l s , t o counsel f o r j o b se ek ing and r e l o c a t i o n , t o pro vide 80 employment i n f o r m a t i o n , and t o a r r a n g e t r a i n i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r th o s e unable t o f i n d work. What kinds o f r e s u l t s did MESC ex p ect from th e TAA program? All f o u r resp o n d e n t s i d e n t i f i e d employment as t h e primary e x p e c t a ­ t i o n , although t h r e e o f them followed t h e i r comments with t h e p r o v i ­ s io n t h a t t h e employment would pro ba bly be a t a lower r a t e o f pay and in a d i f f e r e n t o ccu p atio n tha n t h e former j o b . They s a i d t h e r e had been hope t h a t t h e C h r y s l e r p l a n t would be purchased by a n o t h e r f i r m , th e r e b y re duc ing t h e amount o f commuting o r r e l o c a t i n g n e c e s s a r y f o r new employment. The MESC s t a f f a l s o ex pected t h e TAA-funding a l l o w ­ ances t o h elp cu shio n t h e f i n a n c i a l blow t o i n d i v i d u a l s and t o th e l o c a l economy. Montcalm Community C o l l e g e .--Why did Montcalm Community College g e t in volv ed w i th TAA t r a i n i n g ? of r e a s o n s . community. The i n t e r v i e w e r s mentioned two types The f i r s t had t o do w ith s e r v i c e t o people and t o t h e Each re sp o n d e n t i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e community c o l l e g e saw such r e t r a i n i n g as p a r t o f i t s b a s i c m i s s i o n , i . e . , s e r v i n g i n d i v i d u a l s in need, h e lp in g t o f i n d t h e s o l u t i o n t o a conmunity problem, and working w i th o t h e r community a g e n c i e s . in i n c r e a s e d e n r o l l m e n t s . The second reason was i n t e r e s t Because community-college funding i s r e l a t e d to th e number o f c r e d i t hours g e n e r a t e d , s t a f f members were i n t e r e s t e d in t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r an immediate i n c r e a s e in e n r o llm e n t as well as th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a new c l i e n t e l e ( t h e f r i e n d s , n e i g h b o r s , and r e l a ­ t i v e s o f t h e former C h r y s le r employees). What did Montcalm Community C ollege in t e n d t o do f o r o r with t h e TAA t r a i n e e s ? The r e spondents i n d i c a t e d t h a t p r o v id i n g j o b - r e l a t e d 81 s k i l l s was t h e primary o b j e c t i v e . new jobs was a second p r i o r i t y . Helping th e d i s p l a c e d workers f i n d Encouraging s elf - d e v e l o p m e n t was a l s o d e s c r i b e d as being im p o r t a n t. What kinds o f r e s u l t s did Montcalm Community College ex p ect from t h e TAA t r a i n i n g program? Responses f e l l i n t o four c a te g o rie s : (1) improved jo b s k i l l s , (2) in c r e a s e d c o l l e g e e n r o l l m e n t s , (3) improved s e l f - i m a g e s and in c r e a s e d general knowledge, and (4) in c r e a s e d m o b i l i t y . The res p o n d en ts exp ec ted t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s t o a c q u i r e j o b r e l a t e d s k i l l s in t e c h n i c a l , b u s i n e s s , and s e c r e t a r i a l a r e a s . College s t a f f members expected both s h o r t - and lo n g -te r m e n r o llm e n t i n c r e a s e s . They saw such i n c r e a s e s coming from d i r e c t TAA e n r o l l m e n t ; from t h e e n r o llm e n t o f f r i e n d s , r e l a t i v e s , and neigh bors o f those a t t e n d e e s because o f t h e p o s i t i v e p u b l i c image c r e a t e d by th e c o l l e g e ' s i n v o l v e ­ ment in t h e TAA program; and from p o s s i b l e program ex p an s io n , based on th e a d d i t i o n a l s t u d e n t s . They a l s o expected a ty pe o f outcome th ey d e s c r i b e d as people with more c o n f i d e n c e , with p o s i t i v e s e l f - i m a g e s , b r e a k in g away from a "sewing machine o r I can do nothing" m e n t a l i t y , and w ith more open minds, which would make them more l i k e l y t o a c c e p t new j o b s , move t o new l o c a t i o n s , o r be w i l l i n g t o e n t e r o t h e r t y p e s o f training. P a r t i c i p a n t s . —Of t h e 103 p a r t i c i p a n t s who responded to the Montcalm Community C ollege s u r v e y , 94 i n d i c a t e d a primary reason f o r d ecid in g t o p a r t i c i p a t e in TAA t r a i n i n g , 66 mentioned a secondary r e a s o n , and 44 i n d i c a t e d a t e r t i a r y r e a s o n . in one o f f i v e c a t e g o r i e s : Each res ponse was p laced 82 1. Allowances—res pon ses t h a t emphasized t h e TAA funding were p laced in t h i s c a te g o r y . 2. Job—r es pons es t h a t placed emphasis d i r e c t l y on a c q u i r ­ ing employment were plac ed i n t h i s c a t e g o r y . 3. S k i l l — r es po nses t h a t emphasized a c q u i r i n g a s k i l l o r s k i l l s were p laced i n t h i s c a t e g o r y . 4. Knowledge— respo nses t h a t emphasized l e a r n i n g o r the gen er al a c q u i s i t i o n o f knowledge were plac ed in t h i s c a t e g o r y . 5. Other. As Table 5 shows, s k i l l , knowledge, a ll o w a n c e s , and j o b s , in t h a t o r d e r , were th e most i m p o rta n t de te r m in a n ts f o r d ec id in g t o p a r ­ t i c i p a t e i n TAA t r a i n i n g . J o b s , knowledge, a llo w a n c e s , and s k i l l s were given as secondary r e a s o n s . Allowances, j o b s , knowledge, and s k i l l s were l i s t e d as t e r t i a r y r e a s o n s . The " o t h e r " c a te g o r y under t e r t i a r y r ea so ns had 22 r e s p o n s e s , a l a r g e enough number t o w a r r a n t special a tte n tio n . The a d d i t i o n a l reasons most o f t e n given f o r p a r ­ t i c i p a t i o n were as f o l l o w s : (1) I t gave me something t o do. accustomed t o working and did not l i k e s t a y i n g home. me a c h a l l e n g e . I was (2) I t o f f e r e d I wanted t o see i f I could succeed i n c o l l e g e . (3) I t gave me time and a p l a c e t o a d j u s t t o t h e j o b - l o s s trauma. Data g a th e r e d from th e 15 i n t e r v i e w e e s s u p p o rted t h e survey information. A f t e r a c q u i s i t i o n o f j o b s k i l l s , r es po nses were f a i r l y evenly d i s t r i b u t e d between t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d in p a r t i c i p a t i n g f o r reason s o f g e t t i n g a j o b o r g a in i n g knowledge, b u t n e a r l y a l l o f t h e i n t e r ­ viewees (13 o f 15) confirmed t h a t th e funding had been a major i s s u e . 83 (Trade r e a d ju s t m e n t allowances had been extended an a d d i t i o n a l 26 weeks f o r a l l who were in t r a i n i n g . ) Table 5 . - - Reasons f o r p a r t i c i p a t i o n in TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . Reasons Absolute Frequency Relative Frequency (P et) Ad juste d Frequency ( P e t) Cumulative Frequency (P et) 19.1 35.1 61.7 8 6.2 100.0 Most Impo rtant Reason: Allowances Job Skill Knowledge Other No response 18 15 25 23 13 9 17.5 14.6 24.3 22.3 12.6 8.7 19.1 16.0 26.6 24.5 13.8 Total 103 100.0 100.0 12 20 6 18 10 37 11.7 19.4 5.8 17.5 9.7 35.9 18.2 30.3 9.1 27 .3 15.2 103 100.0 100.0 Allowances Job Skill Knowledge Other No resp onse 10 6 2 4 22 59 9.7 5.8 1.9 3.9 21.4 57.3 22.7 13.6 4. 5 9.1 50.0 Total 103 100.0 100.0 • • Second in Importance: Allowances Job Skill Knowledge Other No r espons e Total 18.2 48.5 57.6 84.8 100.0 Third in Importance: 22.7 36.4 40.9 50.0 100.0 84 Each o f the t h r e e groups had e x t e r n a l m o t i v a t i o n f o r i n v o l v e ­ ment. HESC's involvement was mandated by law, Montcalm Community College was m o tivated by th e f a c t t h a t such a c t i v i t y i s c e n t r a l t o th e community c o l l e g e ' s m i s s i o n , and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were en c o u r ­ aged t o p a r t i c i p a t e because of th e a d d i t i o n a l s i x months o f funding b e n e f i t s f o r t h o s e who were in t r a i n i n g . c o l l e g e in t e n d e d t o pro vide dual s e r v i c e s . MESC and t h e community MESC planned t o provid e employment s e r v i c e s and t o proce ss TAA b e n e f i t s . Montcalm Community College planned t o t r a i n and t o a s s i s t in t h e jo b - p l a c e m e n t p r o c e s s . Each group hoped f o r some p o s i t i v e outcomes from t h e TAA program. MESC s t a f f looked f o r employment f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers and f o r some s t a b i l i t y i n th e l o c a l econotny; t h e community c o l l e g e expected t h e d i s p l a c e d workers to become more s k i l l e d and knowledgeable and i t s own c r e d i t - h o u r e n r o llm e n ts t o i n c r e a s e ; and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s themselves soug ht jo b s k i l l s , f i n a n c i a l s t a b i l i t y in t h e i n t e r i m , new employment, and g en er al knowledge. What Happened and How I t Happened From June 1979 th rough December 1981, t h e I o n ia o f f i c e o f th e MESC, Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , and t h e former Lyons C h r y s le r employees j o i n e d f o r c e s i n a r e t r a i n i n g e f f o r t . During A pr il 1982, t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r i n t e r v i e w e d s e l e c t e d agency s t a f f members and a random sample from t h e 150 program p a r t i c i p a n t s . Each i n t e r v i e w , which l a s t e d a p proxim a te ly 45 m i n u t e s , c o n t a i n e d q u e s ti o n s conce rning what had hap­ pened and how i t had happened r e g a rd in g t h e TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . As d e s c r i b e d i n Chapter I I I , f o u r s t a f f members from each agency were 85 s e l e c t e d f o r i n t e r v i e w s on t h e b a s i s o f t h e i r knowledge about and involvement with th e program. In a d d i t i o n , th e names o f 18 program p a r t i c i p a n t s were randomly s e l e c t e d f o r i n t e r v i e w i n g . The i n v e s t i ­ g a t o r conducted 15 i n t e r v i e w s with program p a r t i c i p a n t s (3 o f th e 18 i n d i v i d u a l s were not a v a i l a b l e f o r i n t e r v i e w s ) . The f o llo w in g p a r a ­ graphs c o n t a i n d e s c r i p t i o n s o f t h e program from t h e view point o f each o f th e t h r e e groups. Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission v i e w p o i n t .--Two o f th e MESC i n t e r v i e w e e s were permanent s t a f f members, and two were employees a s s i g n e d s p e c i f i c a l l y t o a s s i s t with t h e TAA program. The two permanent s t a f f members, th e I o n ia branch manager and t h e o f f i c e manager, began work w ith th e C h r y s l e r workers b e f o r e t h e TAA funding began and c o ntinued t o work with t h e d i s p l a c e d workers a f t e r t h e p r o ­ gram funding c e a s e d . The two employees a s s i g n e d s p e c i f i c a l l y t o th e TAA program came from o t h e r MESC branch o f f i c e s , and a f t e r t h e program funding ceas ed th e y were r e a s s i g n e d once a g a i n . Response t o p l a n t c l o s i n g : When t h e impending c l o s u r e o f t h e Lyons/Muir C h r y s le r P l a n t was announced in s p r i n g 1979, t h e MESC s t a f f began p r e p a r i n g f o r what th ey knew would be a s i g n i f i c a n t a d d i ­ t i o n t o t h e i r normal work l o a d . The s t a f f had some knowledge o f what t h e t a s k would e n t a i l because t h e Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t had c l o s e d f o r n e a r l y a y e a r i n 1974. Using a s i m i l a r approach t h i s t i m e , MESC s t a f f members immediately took a c t i o n . Meetings were h eld a t t h e p l a n t t o inform t h e workers o f employment s e r v i c e s and b e n e f i t s . During t h e s p r i n g and e a r l y summer months, TAA e l i g i b i l i t y had not been e s t a b l i s h e d , so t h e i n i t i a l e f f o r t s were aimed a t p r o v id in g 86 i n f o r m a t i o n ab out unemployment in s u r a n c e and jo b -p lac em en t s e r v i c e s . Recognizing t h a t t h e p l a n t shutdown would cause d e t r im e n t a l e f f e c t s on th e t o t a l community, MESC s t a f f j o i n e d with o t h e r s e r v i c e o r g a n i z a ­ t i o n s as members o f t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Co unci l. In August 1979, o f f i c i a l word was given t h a t t h e Lyons C h r y s l e r workers were e l i g i b l e f o r TAA b e n e f i t s . Because o f t h e l a r g e number o f pe ople involved and t h e a t t e n d a n t pape r work r e q u i r e m e n t s , i t was n e c e s s a r y to add s t a f f members a t t h e I on ia branch o f th e MESC. Planning in c o n j u n c t io n w it h t h e Department o f Labor o f f i c i a l s a t t h e s t a t e l e v e l , s t a f f p o s i t i o n s were expanded f o r claims c l e r k s , c o u n s e l o r s , t y p i s t s , and s u p e r v i s o r s . Dec isions were made a t t h e s t a t e l e v e l t o a s s i g n s t a f f members from o t h e r branches i n th e s t a t e , g iv in g them t h e s p e c i f i c t a s k o f making the TAA program work. The f i r s t o b j e c t i v e was t o inform a l l people who were p o te n ­ t i a l l y e l i g i b l e f o r TAA o f t h e b e n e f i t s th ey might p o s s i b l y r e c e i v e . Numerous a c t i o n s were implemented t o accomplish t h i s t a s k . Radio, newspaper, and t e l e v i s i o n p r e s e n t a t i o n s were made a t both l o c a l and sta te levels. Meetings were ar ra n g e d w ith union members, and l e t t e r s were s e n t t o a l l p r ev io u s Lyons C h r y s l e r w orkers . Sinc e e l i g i b l e people would be allowed 180 days t o make d e c i s i o n s conce rning t r a i n ­ i n g , which could ex tend t h e i r t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t allowances f o r an . a d d i t i o n a l 26 weeks beyond t h e b a s i c 52 weeks, l e t t e r s were s e n t in November 1979 encour aging t h e d i s p l a c e d workers t o e s t a b l i s h t h e i r t r a i n i n g e l i g i b i l i t y , even i f i t was only f o r f u t u r e u s e . Once t h e workers had been informed and in t u r n confirmed t h e i r r e q u e s t s f o r e l i g i b i l i t y , t h e MESC s t a f f proce ss ed each r e q u e s t . 87 Between o n e - f o u r t h and o n e - t h i r d o f a l l TA A-eligible people took some t r a i n i n g , and t h e i r t r a i n i n g r e q u e s t s had t o be p r o c e s s e d . In a d d i ­ t i o n to e s t a b l i s h i n g e l i g i b i l i t y , a c o n t r a c t had t o be w r i t t e n f o r each t r a i n e e . In p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t r a i n i n g , MESC provided t e s t i n g , made recommendations, and ar ra n g ed appointments f o r v i s i t a t i o n s to the tr a in in g schools. The amount o f f i n a n c i a l allowance had t o be computed f o r each TA A-eligible perso n. I t was p o s s i b l e t o r e c e i v e allowances f o r r e l o c a t i o n exp ens es, f o r j o b - s e a r c h ex p e n s e s , f o r t r a i n i n g ex penses, and f o r t r a i n i n g - r e l a t e d ex p e n s e s, in a d d i t i o n t o t h e general t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t allowance $250/week b e n e f i t . While TAA e l i g i b i l i t y was being e s t a b l i s h e d , t r a i n i n g c o n t r a c t s c e r t i f i e d , and v a r i o u s o t h e r b e n e f i t s a r r a n g e d , paperwork and procedures were being e s t a b l i s h e d t o monitor and r e p o r t on a l l o f t h e s e e v e n t s . According t o one s t a f f member, " I t was a k i l l i n g tim e , b u t fun and e x c i t i n g because we were th e f i r s t l a r g e program in t h e s t a t e . " Before t h e C h r y s le r workers , only 25 t r a i n i n g c o n t r a c t s had been w r i t t e n f o r Michigan r e s i d e n t s s i n c e t h e Trade Act was e s t a b l i s h e d in 1974. The TA A-eligible p e o p l e , t h o s e who were i n t r a i n i n g as well as th e more than 500 who were n o t , were a l s o pro vid ed with employment i n f o r m a t i o n , j o b r e f e r r a l s , and r e l o c a t i o n and j o b - s e a r c h c o u n s e l in g . With t h e a d d i t i o n a l p e o p l e , paperwork, and new p r o c e ss e s t o contend w i t h , t h e tim es were h e c t i c f o r t h e Ionia MESC o f f i c e . Agency c o o p e r a t i o n : Because t h e m a j o r i t y o f t r a i n e e s a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , t h e pr ev io us working r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h a t agency and t h e MESC became much c l o s e r . Those who were e l i g i b l e 88 f o r and i n t e r e s t e d in t r a i n i n g were r e q u i r e d t o choose a s p e c i f i c program and t o f i n d out how much i t would c o s t . C o n tr a c ts between t h e Department o f Labor and Montcalm Community College were based on th i s information. To a s s i s t in t h e p r o c e s s , MESC s t a f f ac q u a in t e d themselves w i th a l l Montcalm Community College t r a i n i n g programs, became knowledgeable about t r a i n i n g ex p e n s e s , and made numerous t r i p s t o t h e campus t o make program and f i n a n c i a l arrangements w i th c o l l e g e s t a f f members. All f o u r in t e r v i e w e e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e working r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e two ag encies was very p o s i t i v e . Perhaps t h i s was because o f th e l a r g e r numbers o f d i s p l a c e d workers who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community College o r perhaps because o f t h e geo gr ap hic pr ox ­ i m ity ; n e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e MESC s t a f f d e s c r i b e d Montcalm Community College as being much e a s i e r t o work w ith th an th e o t h e r t r a i n i n g i n s t i t u t i o n s w it h which th e y d e a l t . P a r t i c i p a n t r espons e t o s e r v i c e s : In g e n e r a l , th e MESC i n t e r ­ viewees found t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s t o be e n t h u s i a s t i c , e a r n e s t , and s i n ­ cere. "They were good people who took good advantage o f t h e s e r v i c e s a v a i l a b l e t o them, and they were a p p r e c i a t i v e . " Some w o r k e r s , how­ e v e r , were not immediately convinced o f t h e value o f t r a i n i n g . Because t h e p l a n t had c l o s e d in 1974 and l a t e r reop ened, some o f th e d i s p l a c e d employees w aited and hoped. Others i n i t i a l l y were u n w i l l i n g t o commute f o r new jo b s o r s c h o o li n g . " A f te r a w h i l e , however, th ey r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e p l a n t was n o t r e t u r n i n g and t h a t t h e b e n e f i t s w e r e n ' t going t o l a s t . " From t h e MESC v i e w p o i n t , t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s i n i t i a l l y were a f r a i d when th ey went t o t h e community c o l l e g e , b u t a f t e r about f o u r o r f i v e weeks they s e t t l e d i n and became good s t u d e n t s . 89 MESC s t a f f a l s o f e l t t h a t th e p a r t i c i p a n t s were e t h i c a l and p r a c t i c a l about f i n a n c i a l m a t t e r s . There was very l i t t l e abuse o f funds and few problems with docum entation. "They used t h e o p p o r tu ­ n i t y t o pay f i n a n c i a l o b l i g a t i o n s —many were p r u d e n t . " In a d d i t i o n , th e t r a d e r e a d ju s t m e n t allowance appeared t o be very h e lp f u l in s t a b i l i z i n g th e l o c a l economy. Problems: The program was n o t w ith o u t problems. Some o f th e e l i g i b l e people l o s t b e n e f i t s and time because th ey were convinced th e p l a n t would reopen. They d i d n ' t t h i n k s e r i o u s l y o f t r a i n i n g as an o ption u n t i l many months had pas sed. I o n ia o f f i c e c r e a t e d s t r a i n . I n c re a s e d work volume in th e I t was d i f f i c u l t t o pr ovid e r e a l coun­ s e l i n g in a m ass -pro duction s i t u a t i o n . Monitoring t h e TAA program, which was more complex than any o t h e r MESC s e r v i c e , was a l s o d i f f i c u l t . ^ Even though s t a f f members were added, n e c e s s i t a t i n g new room a r r a n g e 2 ments and making t h e whole o f f i c e crowded, t h e r e was s t i l l some s t a f f shortage. Because o f t h e l i m i t e d ty pe s o f programs a v a i l a b l e a t th e community c o l l e g e , i t was d i f f i c u l t a t times t o f i n d programs i n which th e people could s u c c e e d , t h a t would h elp them, and t h a t were a v a i l a b l e on t h e c o l l e g e sch ed ule when th e y were needed. Con­ t in u o u s changes i n r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s from t h e s t a t e l e v e l c r e a t e d 3 problems f o r t h e MESC c o u n s e l o r s . " I t was d i f f i c u l t t o m ai n ta in a ^To compute th e t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t a l lo w a n c e , s t a f f had t o t a k e C h r y s le r subpay and unemployment i n s u r a n c e i n t o ac c o u n t . 2 The manager's o f f i c e became a TAA room. 3In A pr il 1980, t h e co u n s e lo rs were d i r e c t e d n o t to w r i t e any more c o n t r a c t s because t r a i n i n g funds were no l o n g e r a v a i l a b l e . By summer 1980, some c o n t r a c t s were being w r i t t e n , whereby p a r t i c i p a n t s 90 p r o f e s s i o n a l , competent p o s t u r e and f i g h t t h e image o f running people around with h a s s l e and b u n g l in g . Sometimes we would t e l l people some­ t h i n g one day, only t o have th e pr ocedure changed t h e n e x t . " Finally, t h e l a b o r market was e x c e p t i o n a l l y bad a t t h e time th e p a r t i c i p a n t s were completing t h e i r s t u d i e s . Unemployment was more th an 16 p e r c e n t in Ion ia County in e a r l y 1982. Overall i m p r e s s i o n s : D e s p ite t h e problems, or perhaps because o f th e manner in which t h e s t a f f d e a l t with them, MESC i n t e r v i e w e e s f e l t very p o s i t i v e ab out t h e program. and p r i d e ab o ut th e job th ey had done. They e x p r ess ed s a t i s f a c t i o n "We were a b l e t o accomplish a l l o f our s e r v i c e o b j e c t i v e s , and we handled many people i n a com­ p e t e n t manner." The i n t e r v i e w e e s were d i s a p p o i n t e d , however, t h a t job placement f o ll o w in g t r a i n i n g was not as good as t h e y had hoped i t would be. Montcalm Community Col lege v i e w p o i n t . —The f o u r Montcalm Community C ollege i n t e r v i e w e e s r e p r e s e n t e d v a r io u s viewpoints from w ithin the college s e tt i n g . The d i r e c t o r o f admissions became involved a t t h e e a r l i e s t t i m e , June 1979; he worked d i r e c t l y with t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Council and remained an a c t i v e counc il member through t h e summer o f 1981, when he l e f t Michigan f o r a n o t h e r professional job. Although t h e d i r e c t o r o f ad missio ns became in volv ed e a r l i e r th an th e o t h e r community-college i n t e r v i e w e e s , t h e c o u n s e l o r who worked w i th p a r t i c i p a n t s on t h e i r co u r se program plans and a dvise d them paid f o r t h e i r own c l a s s e s and were e l i g i b l e f o r t h e $250/week t r a i n ­ ing r e a d j u s t m e n t a ll o w a n c e . By f a l l 1980, many c o n t r a c t s had been w r i t t e n in t h i s manner, which c o n tin u ed u n t i l October 1981. 91 th ro u g h o u t t h e i r time as c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s pro bab ly s p e n t t h e most time in d i r e c t c o n t a c t w i th t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . was s t i l l In s p r i n g 1982, she p r o v id in g such s e r v i c e t o a few p a r t i c i p a n t s who were com­ p l e t i n g t r a i n i n g s e p a r a t e from TAA b e n e f i t s . The d i r e c t o r o f occupa­ t i o n a l e d u c a t io n a t th e c o l l e g e became involved in TAA d e c i s i o n making in f a l l 1979, when i t became n e c e s s a r y to add more c l a s s s e c t i o n s f o r th e s e m e s te r beginning in January 1980, in res ponse t o t h e expansion in e n r o l lm e n t c r e a t e d by t h e TAA s t u d e n t s . His r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , occu­ p a t i o n a l e d u c a t i o n , was a f f e c t e d by TAA s t u d e n t s through s p r i n g 1981, when he l e f t t h e c o l l e g e f o r a s i m i l a r p o s i t i o n a t a n o t h e r community college. Although th e c o l l e g e p r e s i d e n t was l e s s d i r e c t l y involved in p r o v id in g s e r v i c e s than were th e o t h e r c o l l e g e employees, he made d e c i s i o n s e a r l y on co ncernin g th e c o l l e g e involvement and mai n ta ined program c o n t a c t through h i s a d m i n i s t r a t i v e s t a f f . Response t o p l a n t c l o s i n g : As soon as t h e p l a n t c l o s i n g was announced in May 1979, Montcalm Community C olleg e c o n t a c t e d Lyons C h r y s l e r o f f i c i a l s and t h e Lyons c h a p t e r o f th e United Auto Workers. When Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v i c e Council meetings began i n June 1979 t o a s s i s t t h o s e who would soon l o s e t h e i r j o b s , t h e community c o l l e g e s e n t i t s d i r e c t o r o f adm issions t o l e t t h e workers know what s e r v i c e s th e c o l l e g e could p r o v i d e . He ser ved i n a communication r o l e , p r o v i d i n g i n f o r m a tio n t o o t h e r coun cil members and t o t h e work­ e r s and r e c e i v i n g i n f o r m a t i o n from t h e workers conce rning t h e i r i n t e r e s t in t r a in i n g . Biweekly meetings were h e l d , and two inform a­ t i o n r a l l i e s were o r g an ized f o r th e C h r y s le r employees durin g th e summer months o f 1979. 92 In August 1979, t h e f e d e r a l O f f ic e o f Trade Adjustment A s s i s t a n c e informed t h e Lyons C h r y s le r employees o f t h e i r e l i g i b i l i t y f o r b e n e f i t s under the Trade Act o f 1974. The announcement came dur in g f a l l r e g i s t r a t i o n time a t Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , and t h e r e was no time f o r th e workers t o plan coursework f o r t h e ensuing s e m e s te r . However, n in e workers had a l r e a d y e n r o l l e d i n c o l l e g e , r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e TAA b e n e f i t s they might r e c e i v e . Because th e c o l l e g e had p a r t i c i p a t e d as a c h a r t e r member i n t h e Lyons C h r y s l e r Community S e r v ic e C o u n c i l, they had developed communication l i n k s and a s en se o f t r u s t and mutual r e s p e c t with t h e d i s p l a c e d employees and other service-agency personnel. During f a l l 1979, MESC began r e f e r r i n g p o t e n t i a l t r a i n e e s to Montcalm Community C olleg e f o r coursework p l a n n i n g ; a l s o , TAA-eligible people came d i r e c t l y t o t h e c o l l e g e f o r i n fo r m a tio n ab o ut t r a i n i n g . In th e l a t t e r i n s t a n c e , c o l l e g e p e r s o n n e l , a f t e r d i s c u s s i n g p o s s i b l e t r a i n i n g o p t i o n s , r e f e r r e d t h e people t o MESC f o r e l i g i b i l i t y c e r t i ­ f i c a t i o n , d e t e r m in a t i o n o f a ll o w a n c e s , and o t h e r TAA s u p p o r t . A t r a i n i n g c o n t r a c t i n d i c a t i n g coursework and c o s t had t o be pr ep are d f o r each p a r t i c i p a n t and signed by c o l l e g e p e r s o n n e l . In an a t t e m p t t o improve t h e p r o c e s s , b a s i c - s k i l l s - t e s t i n g and groupo r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n s were ar ra n g e d i n s p r i n g 1980. Arrangements were made f o r t h o s e who needed t u t o r i n g o r s p e c i a l h elp i n r e a d i n g , w r i t ­ i n g , o r math t o t a k e coursev.'ork through t h e c o l l e g e dev elop men tals k i l l s laboratory. When th e p a r t i c i p a n t s i n i t i a l l y e n r o l l e d a t Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , th e y d id not know how long t h e y could r e c e i v e b e n e f i t s , so 93 the y attem pted t o g e t i n t o t r a i n i n g t h a t could be completed i n one year. In re sp ons e t o t h i s need, some s p e c i a l c u r r i c u l a were i d e n t i ­ f i e d , i . e . , bookkeeping, c a r p e n t r y , and f i l e c l e r k , and c e r t i f i c a t e programs i n th o s e a r e a s a r ra n g e d so t h a t t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s could com­ p l e t e a co urse o f s tu d y w it h o u t t a k i n g a l l o f t h e coursework r e q u i r e d for accounting, r e s id e n tia l co n s tru c tio n , or e x e c u tiv e - s e c r e ta r ia l d eg r ees. Because t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s could only be funded f o r a l i m i t e d pe r io d o f t i m e , they p r e f e r r e d t o pursue t h e i r t r a i n i n g a t a f a s t e r r a t e than th e normal c o l l e g e s c h e d u l e . In respons e t o t h i s need, s p e c i a l s e s s i o n s were developed d ur in g th e s p r i n g and summer months o f 1980*, t h e r e was an a d d i t i o n a l s p r i n g o f f e r i n g from April t o mid-May as well as two summer s e s s i o n s , one from mid-May t o June and th e second from l a t e June i n t o August, r a t h e r than t h e normal eight-week summer s e s s i o n held du rin g June and J u l y . Agency c o o p e r a t i o n : Although t h e c o l l e g e personnel had knowledge o f and some prev ious ex p e r ie n c e with MESC programs, they had not e v e r worked as c l o s e l y with MESC as t h i s s i t u a t i o n r e q u i r e d . According t o th e c o l l e g e i n t e r v i e w e e s , th ey were a b i t a p p r e h e n s iv e , r e a l i z i n g t h a t MESC had so many f e d e r a l r e g u l a t i o n s t o deal with and knowing t h a t t h e y , th e m s e l v e s , were l i m i t e d by c o l l e g e p r o cedure s . "We developed a good working r e l a t i o n s h i p and c o o p e r a t i o n a f t e r the program was underway, b u t t h e r e was s t r e s s a t t h e b eg i n n in g . There was so much to be done, and n e i t h e r o f us knew how well we would be a b le t o accomplish o u r goals w i t h i n th e n e c e s sa r y g u i d e l i n e s . " Numerous meetings were held between s t a f f members o f th e two agencies. TAA r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s were d i s c u s s e d so t h a t t h e 94 community c o l l e g e as well as MESC could communicate with th e p a r t i c i ­ pan ts as th ey e n t e r e d t h e i r c o l l e g e t r a i n i n g . Joint-program ing meetings were h e l d , in which p a r t i c i p a n t s ' co u r se schedules and c o s ts were deter mined and c o n t r a c t s w r i t t e n . Through t h i s p r o c e s s , an i n t e r ­ agency r a p p o r t developed t h a t had n o t p r e v i o u s l y e x i s t e d . was developed in both d i r e c t i o n s . "C redibility The problem was l a r g e r than e i t h e r agency, so we worked t o g e t h e r f o r s o l u t i o n s , t r y i n g t o reduce th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a s t u d e n t g e t t i n g ca ug ht between two a g e n c i e s . " Members from each o f t h e ag encies serv ed on t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e C o uncil , so th ey were a b l e t o match t h e i r e f f o r t s with th o s e o f o t h e r a g e n c i e s . I t was t h e consensus o f th e i n t e r v i e w e e s t h a t t h e a g e n c i e s ' i n t e n t i o n t o work t o g e t h e r paid o f f f o r t h e p a r ­ t i ci p a n t s . P a r t i c i p a n t resp onse t o s e r v i c e s : In g e n e r a l , th e community- c o l l e g e in t e r v i e w e e s viewed th e TAA p a r t i c i p a n t s as p o s i t i v e a d d i t i o n s t o th e s t u d e n t body. "Although t h e r e were some who put f o r t h l i t t l e e f f o r t and c o l l e c t e d b e n e f i t s , most were a p p r e c i a t i v e and took t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o improve t h e i r o u tl o o k f o r t h e f u t u r e . " They found the p a r t i c i p a n t s t o be a pprehensive when they a r r i v e d , e x p r e s s i n g f e e l i n g s o f being f o r c e d i n t o a s i t u a t i o n in which th e y were not s u r e t h a t they could su cc ee d. Many t a l k e d about f e e l i n g dumb, l o s t , o r too o l d . They f e l t pushed because th ey had to make h a s ty d e c i s i o n s concerning training. Within a month, however, an obvious change had taken p l a c e . The p a r t i c i p a n t s became a co hes iv e group o f s t u d e n t s , s h a r i n g r i d e s , c o n c e r n s , and i n f o r m a t i o n . o f many o t h e r campus groups. They soon branched o u t and became members 95 By f a l l 1980, with more than 120 e n r o l l e d i n c l a s s e s , th e d i s p l a c e d workers became a p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e on t h e c o l l e g e campus. They were s e r i o u s s t u d e n t s . " O v e r a l l , given th e time r e s t r a i n t s , t h e f i n a n c i a l c o n c e r n s , and t h e d i s r u p t i o n s in t h e i r l i v e s , they did well as s t u d e n t s . I b e l i e v e th e y responded much b e t t e r th an o t h e r s p e c i a l groups we have t r a i n e d . Problems: They seemed t o be q u i t e m o t i v a t e d . " As one might e x p e c t , th e i n c r e a s e d a c t i v i t y on th e c o l l e g e campus was a l s o p r o b le m a t i c , ing in too much o f a h u r r y . " "Everything seemed t o be happen­ P a r t i c i p a n t s made l o n g -r a n g e d e c i s i o n s in as l i t t l e time as 10 days t o two weeks, th ey ar ra n g e d t h e i r c l a s s s ch ed u les i n a h u r r y , and th ey took many c r e d i t s each s e m e s te r so t h a t th ey could f i n i s h programs w h ile r e c e i v i n g f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t . Program o p t i o n s were l i m i t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t TAA funding would only s u p p o r t oc c u p a ti o n a l programs; and because o f i t s s i z e , Montcalm Community College did not have numerous program o p t i o n s . Although job placement was d i s c u s s e d as an im p o rtan t c o ncern, i t was n o t pro mis­ ing ex ce pt f o r th o s e who e n t e r e d t h e l i c e n s e d - p r a c t i c a l - n u r s i n g program. The i n c r e a s e i n s t u d e n t p o p u l a t i o n c r e a t e d overcrowding in some c l a s s e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e o f f i c e - e d u c a t i o n c o u r s e s . The normal sequence o f co u r se o f f e r i n g s on se m e ste r s ch ed u les was d r a s t i c a l l y a f f e c t e d by t h e a d d i t i o n a l s p r i n g and summer s e s s i o n s i n 1980 and by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were a t t e m p t i n g to complete programs more r a p i d l y than o t h e r s t u d e n t s . The d i r e c t o r o f o c c u p a ti o n a l edu­ c a t i o n had t o a r ra n g e f o r in de pen de nt s t u d i e s as well as p r o c e s s i n g course s u b s t i t u t i o n s . A d ju s tin g t o t h e program d e c l i n e in f a l l 1981 96 was a l s o tro u ble s om e. The TAA funding ceased a t t h e same time as o t h e r f u n d in g , such as t h a t from CETA, was a l s o being withdrawn. The c o l l e g e , which had been s t r u g g l i n g t o deal with e n r o l lm e n t i n c r e a s e s , immediately found i t s e l f d e a l i n g wit h d e c l i n i n g e n r o l l m e n t s . Overall i m p r e s s i o n s : In s p i t e o f t h e i r problems, community- c o l l e g e s t a f f members expres sed t h e b e l i e f t h a t th e program was p o s i ­ t i v e and b e n e f i c i a l . The i n t e r v i e w e e s f e l t t h a t t h e c o l l e g e had pro vide d good s e r v i c e s . end o f th e b a r g a i n . and group b a s i s . " "Montcalm Community C ollege l i v e d up to i t s We r e a l l y went o u t o f our way on an i n d i v i d u a l The c o l l e g e had in te n d ed t o pro v id e t r a i n i n g f o r a l l i n t e r e s t e d p a r t i c i p a n t s who chose t o a t t e n d , and th e y did pr ov ide th a t service. The c o l l e g e d i d e x p e r i e n c e th e i n c r e a s e i n s t u d e n t s and c r e d i t hours t h a t i t had hoped f o r , even though t h e s e i n c r e a s e s were not s u s t a i n e d . Expr essing d isa p p o in tm e n t about t h e job market and th e placement o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s immediately f o ll o w in g program com­ p l e t i o n , s t a f f i n t e r v i e w e e s voiced t h e b e l i e f t h a t p a r t i c i p a n t s had gained knowledge and s k i l l s in t h e s h o r t run t h a t would s e r v e them well in t h e f u t u r e . the p a r t ic ip a n ts . "Through t h e t o t a l package t h e r e was b e n e f i t f o r The combination o f allowances and t r a i n i n g provided them with a sound o p p o r t u n i t y f o r p o s i t i v e cha ng e. " P a r t i c i p a n t v i e w p o i n t . - - T h e p a r t i c i p a n t i n t e r v i e w s , h eld du rin g April 1982, took t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r down many d i r t r o a d s , as only 5 o f t h e 15 i n t e r v i e w e e s l i v e d w i t h i n c i t y o r v i l l a g e l i m i t s (one each i n P a l o , Carson C i t y , Lyons, Hubbardston, and Bel d i n g ) . The i n t e r ­ views a l s o took him from impoverished l i v i n g q u a r t e r s t o b e a u t i f u l 97 co untry homes, from people who were o p t i m i s t i c about t h e i r f u t u r e s to th o s e who were very d e p r e s s e d , and from t h o s e who missed t h e good old C h r y s le r days t o t h o s e who had put t h a t p e r io d o f t h e i r l i v e s f a r behind them. Four of t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s were male and 11 female. e s t was 25, and t h e o l d e s t was 51. Six was t h e f e w e s t c r e d i t hours any o f them had e a r n e d , and 65 was t h e most. av erages ranged from 1.45 t o 3 . 9 2 . The young­ Their grade-point Whereas t h r e e were s t i l l ta k i n g c o l l e g e c l a s s e s , s i x were employed f u l l t i m e , t h r e e worked p a r t t i m e , two were unemployed, and one was r e c e i v i n g workman's compensation benefits. All f o u r o f t h e males r e p r e s e n t e d t h e s o l e s u p p o r t f o r t h e i r f a m i l i e s ; 8 o f t h e 11 females provided a second income in t h e i r homes. Seven o f t h e 15 i n t e r v i e w e e s , i n c l u d i n g a l l o f th e m ales, were e i t h e r unemployed o r underemployed t o t h e degree t h a t i t was hard f o r them t o m ain ta in t h e bar e n e c e s s i t i e s o f l i f e . Living in a t r a i l e r n ear a p a r t i a l l y b u i l t house, one man ex p r ess ed l i t t l e hope o f e v e r com pleting h i s dream o f b u i l d i n g h is own home. He s t a t e d , "I c a n ' t j u s t q u i t . I d o n ' t want t o give up, bu t t h e r e a i n ' t much you can do when bad tim es come; th ey a r e ba d." Another i n t e r v i e w e e e x h i b i t e d f a t i g u e du rin g an ea r ly -m o r n in g i n t e r v i e w f o ll o w i n g her p a r t - t i m e , minimum-wage n i g h t j o b . E x p lain ­ ing t h a t l i f e was r a t h e r low r i g h t t h e n , she t o l d o f completing h e r h i g h - s c h o o l - e q u i v a l e n c y examination i n 1976, when she was i n her middle t h i r t i e s . S h o r t l y t h e r e a f t e r , she was a b l e t o g e t o f f Aid t o Dependent Ch ildren by g a i n i n g employment a t t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Plant. “But now th e p l a n t i s c l o s e d . My c l e r i c a l t r a i n i n g i s okay, 98 b u t I ' v e n o t been a b l e t o f i n d work i n t h a t f i e l d . These a r e th e r e a l l y tough t i m e s , and e v e r y t h i n g i s gone—th e c o u n c i l , t h e b e n e f i t s , the other people." The o t h e r e i g h t i n t e r v i e w e e s , a l l o f them females w ith e i t h e r working o r r e t i r e d husbands, appeared t o be doing q u i t e w e l l . l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s seemed t o be c o m f o rt a b l e . T h e ir Two o f t h e t h r e e who were s t u d e n t s i n d i c a t e d no i n t e r e s t i n f u l l - t i m e employment i n th e n ear future. During an i n t e r v i e w in which she d e s c r i b e d h e r work a t a new and i n t e r e s t i n g j o b , one o f t h e resp o nden ts s a i d , "Things a r e r e a l l y working w e l l . Ours i s a good l i f e ! " Response t o p l a n t c l o s i n g : When th e p l a n t had c l o s e d i n 1974, t h e employees were e l i g i b l e f o r and r e c e i v e d allowances under TAA. Since 12 o u t o f t h e 15 p a r t i c i p a n t i n te r v ie w e e s had been employees b e f o r e 1974, th e y were aware o f and expected b e n e f i t s ; however, s i n c e t h e 1974 c l o s i n g had been f o r a s h o r t p e r i o d ( l e s s than one y e a r ) and t r a i n i n g had n o t been en co ura ged , t h e i r major e x p e c t a t i o n in 1979 was f o r th e t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t a llo w an ces . "We knew ab o u t t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t allowances because o f t h e 1974 c l o s i n g . Schooling was never an item t h e n , but th e t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t a l l o w ­ ance funds were s u r e h e l p f u l . " In res ponse t o t h e i n t e r v i e w q u e s ti o n as kin g how they had found o u t abou t t h e TAA t r a i n i n g program, p a r t i c i p a n t s gave numerous an sw ers. Five o f t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t th ey had found o u t from MESC, e i t h e r through l e t t e r s or through d i s c u s s i o n s a t t h e MESC office. Five remembered r e c e i v i n g t h e i r i n f o r m a t i o n from t h e union through group meetings o r d i r e c t l y from o t h e r union members. One 99 person r e c a l l e d hearing about t r a i n i n g from a f r i e n d w h ile he was w a i t i n g in an unemployment l i n e . A f t e r checking i t out a t MESC, where he was t o l d he was1probably not e l i g i b l e , he went t o Montcalm Commu­ n i t y Colle ge and was t o l d he probably would be e l i g i b l e . He r e t u r n e d to t h e MESC o f f i c e and began t h e paperwork n e c e s s a r y t o s t a r t t r a i n ­ in g . One o f t h e in t e r v i e w e e s had been a member o f t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e s C o uncil, where she found o u t ab ou t t h e program. Another , who was i n a nonunion p o s i t i o n , r e c e iv e d her i n fo r m a t io n d i r e c t l y from C h r y s le r C o r p o r a t io n . One r e c e iv e d h i s i n fo r m a t io n from th e community c o l l e g e ' s admiss ions d i r e c t o r . Another remembered t h a t "We d id i t o u r s e l v e s . N e i th e r C h r y s l e r , th e n a t i o n a l union [UAW], nor MESC took a c t i o n . We, t h e l o c a l group, wrote t h e l e t t e r s , made th e c o n t a c t s , and r e c e i v e d t h e a p p r o v a l . " In l a t e August 1979, t h e d i s p l a c e d workers knew t h a t they would r e c e i v e t r a d e r e a d j u s tm e n t allowances f o r a on e - y e a r p e r i o d . But i t took s e v e r a l months f o r them to r e a l i z e t h a t t r a i n i n g was a l s o an im p o r t a n t o p t i o n and t h a t i f th ey e n r o l l e d f u l l time i n a t r a i n i n g program, they would a l s o r e c e i v e a 26-week e x t e n s i o n o f t h e i r a llo w ­ ance. T h i r t e e n o f t h e 15 i n te r v ie w e e s remembered l a t e November and December o f 1979 as being a very h u r r i e d and h e c t i c t im e . They had Although t h e T A A - e l i g i b i l i t y i n f o r m a t io n was conveyed through v a r io u s c h a n n e l s , a group o f t h e C h r y s le r employees made t h e a c t u a l a p p l i c a t i o n . This was not u n u s u a l, as such p e t i t i o n s a r e normally r e q u e s te d by a f f e c t e d employees. 100 t o choose a t r a i n i n g program, r e c e i v e a p p r o v a l , and g e t r e g i s t e r e d in a hur ry .^ Agency s e r v i c e s : Both MESC and Montcalm Community College provided s e r v i c e s from June 1979 through t h e end o f c a l e n d a r - y e a r 1981. However, th e s e r v i c e s pro vid ed dur in g f a l l 1979 were perhaps th e most c r u c i a l and t h e ones most remembered by t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . Following a r e p a r t i c i p a n t views o f th o s e and o t h e r s e r v i c e s provided by t h e two a g e n c i e s . The in t e r v i e w e e s r e c a l l e d many s e r v i c e s they r e c e iv e d from MESC, i . e . , th e p r o c e s s in g o f paperwork n e c e s s a r y f o r r e c e i p t o f b e n e f i t s , ge ner al in f o r m a ti o n ab out t h e j o b mark et, t h e arrangement of j o b i n t e r v i e w s , help i n w r i t i n g resumes, t e s t i n g , c l a s s sc hed ules from s e v e r a l corrmunity c o l l e g e s , allowance payments every two weeks, and a s s i s t a n c e in pur ch as ing t h e t o o l s and equipment r e q u i r e d f o r c e r t a i n t r a i n i n g programs. In a d d i t i o n t o l i s t i n g s e r v i c e s , th ey added general comments t h a t p o in te d t o both s t r e n g t h s and flaws i n th e system. Although they su gges ted t h a t MESC provided a l o t o f good i n f o r m a t i o n , i n t e r v i e w e e s expres sed concern about l a c k o f s p e c i f i c knowledge dur in g f a l l 1979. U n ti l t h e TAA c o u n s e lo rs were added to t h e MESC, i n t e r v i e w e e s f e l t th e y c o u l d n ' t g e t much h e l p ex c e p t f o r employment s e r v i c e s . too. "[The MESC s t a f f ] t r i e d , b u t i t was new to them, They seemed t o want t o h e lp b u t were l i m i t e d because they d i d n ' t 1 Each d i s p l a c e d worker who wanted t o begin t r a i n i n g immediately was d e a l i n g with two d e a d l i n e s : 180 days from t h e d a t e o f p l a n t c l o s ­ ing f o r d eter m in in g TAA-training e l i g i b i l i t y and t h e mid-December community-college r e g i s t r a t i o n p eriod f o r th e seme ster beginn in g in e a r l y J anuary . 101 have t h e i n f o r m a t i o n , 11 I n te rv iew ees viewed t h e TAA c o u n s e lo rs as being very h e l p f u l . any tim e. "They were always a v a i l a b l e and would hel p a t They were r e a l l y g r e a t . " When d i s c u s s i n g community-college s e r v i c e s , most i n t e r v i e w e e s t a l k e d abou t program plan ning and c l a s s s c h e d u l i n g , which th e y found t o be h e l p f u l b u t h u r r i e d . Several mentioned t h a t th ey wished t e s t i n g could have been given as a p a r t o f th e e n r o llm e n t p r o c e s s .^ T uto ring and d e v e l o p m e n t a l - s k i l l s cou rse s were d e s c r i b e d as being p l e n t i f u l and very good. Job placement was mentioned by only 2 o f th e 15 i n t e r ­ view ees , and then only as a s e r v i c e t h a t " o t h e r s may have u s e d . " The p a r t i c i p a n t s found s t a f f members t o be i n f o r m a t i v e and w i l l i n g to h e l p . "Everybody was h e l p f u l . down-home, p e r s o n a l - h e l p f e e l i n g . They gave you a kind o f So many pla c e s you j u s t g e t a run around, but we d i d n ' t g e t i t t h e r e . " P a r t i c i p a n t i n t e r v i e w e e s were p a r t i c u l a r l y a p p r e c i a t i v e o f t h e f a c t t h a t i n fo r m a ti o n ab out programs, c o u r s e s , books, and c o s t was w r i t t e n , so th ey could r e f e r t o i t when necessary. A few commented t h a t th ey could and d id t a l k with coun­ s e l o r s o r t e a c h e r s when they f e l t disc ourag ed o r d e p r e s s e d . L if e as a s t u d e n t : When asked t o d e s c r i b e s t u d e n t l i f e , many in t e r v i e w e e s began w ith t h e word " h e c t i c . " "We had been o u t o f school f o r many y e a r s —f o r me, 22—and o u t o f t h e p r a c t i c e o f l e a r n i n g . paperwork, a p p r o v a l s , and then becoming a f u l l - t i m e s t u d e n t a l l S pecial t e s t i n g and o r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n s were a r ra n g e d in s p r i n g 1980. By t h e n , however, appr oximate ly h a l f o f t h e p a r t i c i ­ pa n t s had a l r e a d y e n r o l l e d in t h e i r c l a s s e s . The 102 happened so f a s t . " i They were a l s o a f r a i d . " I t was s c a r y ; I d i d n ' t know i f I could do i t o r n o t , and I d i d n ' t know i f I would be welcomed o r merely t o l e r a t e d . " so e m b ar ras sed ." "I was s c a r e d t o d e a t h ; I th o u g h t I would be They were n o t only a f r a i d o f t h e s o c i a l s e t t i n g b u t were a l s o very w o r r i e d abou t t h e i r a b i l i t y t o s ucceed. O f te n , in t e r v i e w e e s ex p r e ss e d t h e f e e l i n g t h a t th ey ne ver th ought th ey could do i t . They were w i l l i n g t o t r y b ut were very s k e p t i c a l about what 2 th e r e s u l t s would be. In te rv ie w e e s were amazed a t t h e amount o f time t h e i r school work r e q u i r e d . They a t t e n d e d c l a s s e s from 15 t o 20 hours per week, and homework took more th an tw ice t h a t much ti m e . " I t was much to u g h e r than working a t C h r y s le r had been, because from t h e r e you could go home and l e a v e i t . This was much more t i r i n g , b u t a l s o rewarding." Because t h e s t u d e n t s took so much work home, o t h e r fa mily members and t h e fa m ily r o u t i n e were a f f e c t e d . "With t h r e e c h i l d r e n and a l a r g e house to c a r e f o r , i n a d d i t i o n to rqy schoolwork, I got tired. My husband did housework and car ed f o r t h e c h i l d r e n . c o u l d n ' t have made i t w it h o u t him." was hard on tny f a m il y . I "Although a g r e a t e x p e r i e n c e , i t As I s a t on t h e f r o n t porch r e a d in g one e v e n in g , I heard my son respond t o t h e q u e s t i o n , 'Where's Mom?' with 'Out ^To r e c e i v e f u l l b e n e f i t s , each p a r t i c i p a n t had t o be a f u l l ­ time s t u d e n t . To make t h e most o f t h e i r b e n e f i t s , many s t u d e n t s took more than t h e minimum 12 c r e d i t s r e q u i r e d f o r f u l l - t i m e s t a t u s . Three o f t h e 15 p a r t i c i p a n t i n t e r v i e w e e s had ne v e r f i n i s h e d high s c h o o l , but r a t h e r had tak en h i g h - s c h o o l - e q u i v a l e n c y exams a f t e r having been out o f school f o r more th an 20 y e a r s . 103 on t h e f r o n t porch s t u d y i n g —where e l s e would she b e ? ' But you know, I t h i n k n\y c h i l d r e n w i l l be b e t t e r s t u d e n t s because o f t h i s e x p e r i ­ ence." Along w it h t h e schoolwork came t h e good f e e l i n g o f being with friends. shop. "You know, some went t o school t o be w ith people from t h e You miss peo ple y o u 'v e been w ith f o r 15 t o 20 y e a r s , and you l i k e being with them. " I t was n i c e knowing we had a group. C h r y s l e r people s tu c k t o g e t h e r . " We As mentioned e a r l i e r in t h e t e x t , t h i s ca m ar ad er ie was p a r t i c u l a r l y n o t i c e a b l e dur in g th e beg inning weeks o f s c h o o li n g . At some p o i n t in t h e d e s c r i p t i o n o f s t u d e n t l i f e , most o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s t a l k e d about th e younger p e o p le . In t h e i r work s e t t i n g , th e i n t e r v i e w e e s had not been c l o s e t o young p e o p l e , and th e y were ap p r eh en siv e about a g e n e r a t i o n gap with f e l lo w s t u d e n t s . They were, however, p l e a s a n t l y s u r p r i s e d t o f i n d o u t t h a t t h e r e were a l o t more o l d e r people in school than th ey had ex pected t o see and t h a t t h e young and o ld mixed e a s i l y . "Younger people h e l p e d , t o o . Our f e e l ­ ings and t h e i r s rubbed o f f . We had a l o t t o o f f e r each o t h e r . " P a r t i c i p a n t s had had m isc once ptions about i n s t r u c t o r s as w e l l . "I t h o u g h t t h e t e a c h e r s would be fuddy-duddies and t h e s t u d e n t s sn obs. They both tu r n e d o u t t o be n i c e peop le. t o t a l k with and always f r i e n d l y . " The t e a c h e r s were very easy The p a r t i c i p a n t s ex p r e ss e d a p p r e ­ c i a t i o n f o r t h e way t h e y were t r e a t e d and how t h a t made them f e e l . "They made you f e e l l i k e you were r e a l l y worth something and n o t j u s t a factory r a t . " "They d i d n ' t push but r a t h e r t r e a t e d us l i k e a d u l t s . " 104 The p a r t i c i p a n t s were busy as f u l l - t i m e s t u d e n t s and fa m ily members, b u t a t l e a s t some o f them took t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o become involved i n campus a c t i v i t i e s . "The day they had t h e Blue gr as s group on campus, I r e a l l y enjoyed i t . I br ought my w i f e , and she l i k e d i t too." Two o f t h e 15 p a r t i c i p a t e d i n c o l l e g e - s p o n s o r e d one-week t r i p s t o New York C i t y , Washington, D.C., and Chicago. "I would have never seen t h e United N a tio n s , U.S. Congressmen in a c t i o n , o r a l l o f th o s e l o v e l y museums, i f i t had n o t been f o r my c o l l e g e a t t e n d ­ an c e ." In g e n e r a l , in t e r v i e w e e s d e s c r i b e d t h e i r s t u d e n t l i v e s as h e c t i c , c h a l l e n g i n g , rewarding e x p e r ie n c e s w ith much work as well as good t i m e s . while. "I r e a l l y l i k e d i t , f e l t I was doing something w or th­ I t w a s n ' t e v e r y t h i n g , b u t i t was good and I h ated t o leave when I was f i n i s h e d . " Proble ms: The t r a i n i n g p a r t i c i p a n t s , l i k e th e MESC and community-coliege s t a f f members, had t o contend with a number o f prob­ lems. Since most o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s had been away from school a long t i m e , i t was d i f f i c u l t f o r them t o red ev el op stu d y h a b i t s . required special cla s se s and/or t u to r in g . Some The hurry and c o nfusion in each agency c r e a t e d s t r e s s f o r t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s , and many f e l t t h a t i t was d i f f i c u l t t o g e t good i n f o r m a t i o n . This l a c k o f knowledge durin g f a l l 1979 and w i n t e r 1980 caused many i n d i v i d u a l s t o e n t e r programs f e e l i n g u n c e r t a i n a b o u t how long o r under what c o n d i t i o n s th ey co uld t r a i n . P a r t i c i p a n t s f e l t th e y should t a k e as much coursework as p o s s i b l e i n t h e s h o r t e s t p e r i o d o f time t o g e t t h e most from t h e i r 105 benefits. This le d t o over load ed s ched ules and overwrought s t u d e n t s . Adding l a r g e numbers o f s t u d e n t s t o e x i s t i n g c l a s s e s c r e a t e d o v e r ­ crowding in some s e c t i o n s . "They d id what th ey c o u l d , b u t i t ' s hard when y o u 'v e g o t so many p e o p le ; we c o u l d n ' t a l l pound n a i l s a t th e same t i m e . " Overcrowding a l s o meant e x t r a wear on equipment, and i n some cou rse s l i k e o f f i c e e d u c a tio n i t caused s t u d e n t s t o f a l l behind in t h e i r lab work. During t h e e a r l y p a r t o f th e t r a i n i n g , n e i t h e r t e s t i n g nor organ ize d o r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n s were pro v id e d . By th e time t h e t e s t i n g and o r i e n t a t i o n s e s s i o n s were e s t a b l i s h e d , i n s p r i n g 1980, more than h a l f o f th o s e who would t r a i n were a l r e a d y t a k i n g c l a s s e s . As men­ t i o n e d e a r l i e r i n t h i s c h a p t e r , s p e c i a l s h o r t s e s s i o n s were developed dur in g s p r i n g and summer 1980 t o accommodate p a r t i c i p a n t s who did not want t o t a k e a break in t h e i r s t u d i e s . Some o f t h e c o u r se s o f f e r e d dur in g t h e s e six-week p e r io d s were too condensed f o r s t u d e n t s : Intro­ du ctory a cco u n tin g packed i n t o s i x weeks proved t o be a g r e a t s t r a i n fo r the m ajority of s tu d e n ts . While t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were i n t r a i n i n g , th ey were a l s o wor­ r i e d ab out f i n a n c e s and what th e y would do when t h e i r t r a i n i n g was completed. cut. "I was always w o r ried ab ou t when t h e funding might be I w o r ried so much i t h u r t my s c h o o l i n g , always t h i n k i n g about l o s i n g b e n e f i t s and having t o s t o p . I t ' s hard s u p p o r t i n g a fa m ily and going t o s c h o o l; you d o n ' t want t o see any money w as ted . I t was so c l o s e f i n a n c i a l l y and I had no s e t jo b i n mind f o r t h e e n d r e a l l y t o u g h ." 106 For a number o f s t u d e n t s , t h i s worry a b r u p t l y t u r n e d i n t o a major problem. On October 1, 1981, f un ding was d i s c o n t i n u e d , causing s e r i o u s t r o u b l e f o r s t u d e n t s who had borrowed money t o pay f o r t h e September-December f a l l s e m e s te r . Some s t u d e n t s , unable to c o n ti n u e w ith o u t t h e al lo w a n c e s , had t o drop t h e i r c l a s s e s and l o s e c r e d i t f o r what they had done du r in g September, whereas o t h e r s c o nti n ued on t h e i r own u n t i l the end o f th e s e m e s te r . P a r t i c i p a n t s a l s o w o r rie d ab out what o t h e r s th ought o f t h e f a c t t h a t they were r e c e i v i n g s p e c i a l bene­ fits. Although they f e l t they were e n t i t l e d t o th e b e n e f i t s , they were s e n s i t i v e about any n e g a t iv e comments. Several re sp on de nts t a l k e d about being very i r r i t a t e d by a c o l l e g e c l e r i c a l s t a f f person who made n e g a t i v e comments and d i s p l a y e d d i s p l e a s u r e w h ile s ig n i n g a t t e n d a n c e forms. Overall i m p r e s s i o n s : P a r t i c i p a n t s exp res sed p r i d e in t h e i r a b i l i t y t o ach iev e as s t u d e n t s and t o deal with t h e problems they faced. was: The most common comment they made about t h e i r accomplishment I d i d n ' t r e a l l y t h i n k t h a t I could do i t , b u t I d i d . numerous s t a t e m e n t s , they exuded p r i d e . "I completed what I s t a r t e d . " "People r e s p e c t t h o s e who succeed in e d u c a t i o n . " in my fa m ily w i th a d e g r e e . " Through "I'm t h e only one " R e a liz i n g t h a t I could do c l e r i c a l acc ou nting made me f e e l p r o u d ." In a d d i t i o n t o t h e i r s e n s e o f p r i d e , they a l s o spoke o f o t h e r ways in which the y f e l t c o l l e g e had added to t h e i r l i v e s . "I now enjo y l i s t e n i n g t o t h e news, and I 'm s e t t i n g up t h e books f o r n\y s i s t e r ' s s t o r e . a n t and she s a i d , ' I have o n e . ' " They t o l d h e r t o g e t an acco u n t­ Some spoke o f c o n f id e n c e . "I am more s e l f - c o n f i d e n t and poise d knowing t h a t I am as educa ted as most 107 people t h a t I m e e t." "I have co nfiden ce in njyself and f e e l prepared now when I apply f o r work." Others e x p l a in e d how t h e combination o f t r a i n i n g and b e n e f i t s had a s s i s t e d them through a rough p e r i o d . "Sure helped me keep rrry l i f e t o g e t h e r f o r a y e a r , k ep t me in touch with people and r e a l i t y ; doing something r a t h e r th a n j u s t wastin g away." In t h i s f i n a l p o r t i o n o f t h e d e s c r i p t i o n o f TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g as viewed by t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s , focus i s pla ced on i n f o r m a tio n g a th e r e d from respons es t o th e survey i n s tr u m e n t. In S e c ti o n D o f t h e s u r v e y , p a r t i c i p a n t s were asked t o respond t o th e fo llowing s ta t e m e n t by c i r c l i n g e i t h e r "was" o r "was n ot" and then completing th e s e n t e n c e , "Overall t h e TRA t r a i n i n g program (was was n o t ) b e n e f i c i a l f o r me b e c a u s e _________________________ ." Of th e 103 resp onden ts to t h e s u r v e y , 92 responded t o t h i s s t a t e m e n t ; 77 c i r c l e d "was," and 15 c i r c l e d "was n o t . " Those who i n d i c a t e d th e program was n o t b e n e f i c i a l went on t o make t h e f o ll o w in g kinds o f comments: "I could n o t g e t a j o b . " c l a s s e s I w ant ed ." "I was unable t o g e t a l l th e "I b e l i e v e I t r a i n e d in th e wrong f i e l d . " th e funds were c u t , I had t o l e a v e . " I d i d n 't get any." ing s k i l l s . " "When "Employers want e x p e r i e n c e , and "I c o u l d n ' t pass n>y c l a s s e s because o f poor r e a d ­ Those who i n d i c a t e d th e program was b e n e f i c i a l f o r them made t h e s e kinds o f comments: of confidence." "I got a j o b . " "I gained a g r e a t deal "I met many people and made new f r i e n d s . " an u n d e r sta n d i n g o f world e v e n t s . " I learned t h a t I can." "I gained "I ne v e r t h o u g h t I c o u l d , but "I wanted o u t and g o t o u t o f th e f a c t o r y . " "I have s k i l l s - - t h e y may not be u s e fu l now, b u t they w i l l be l a t e r . " " I t simply opened new avenues f o r me." " I t i s something t h a t can 108 never be t ak en away." my b i l l s . " ones. " I t helped ms a d j u s t , and I was a b l e t o pay The p o s i t i v e remarks g r e a t l y outnumbered th e n e g a t i v e As th e 77 p o s i t i v e t o 15 n e g a t i v e r es po nses t o th e s ta t e m e n t o f b e n e f i t i n d i c a t e d , t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s appeared p le a s e d with t h e i r i n v o l v e ­ ment i n t h e t r a i n i n g program. P a r t i c i p a n t Outcomes The i n fo r m a ti o n i n t h i s s e c t i o n came from a r e c o r d - f i l e s e a r c h o f a l l 150 TAA s t u d e n t s who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community College and from t h e re sp onses o f t h e 103 p a r t i c i p a n t s who r e t u r n e d t h e survey conducted dur in g February and March 1982. Following a p r e s e n t a t i o n o f demographic i n f o r m a tio n on a l l 150 p a r t i c i p a n t s ( i . e . , s e x , a g e , beginning d a t e o f t r a i n i n g , and programs in which th ey t r a i n e d ) , t h e number o f c r e d i t hours th ey had completed and t h e i r communityc o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es a r e l i s t e d . The remainder o f t h i s s e c ­ t i o n , based on surv ey r e s p o n s e s , p r e s e n t s d a ta on p a r t i c i p a n t s ' r e a c t i o n s t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s , c u r r e n t (February-March 1982) employ­ ment s t a t u s , and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . Educational ac hie vem ent. - - O f t h e 150 people who p a r t i c i p a t e d in t r a i n i n g , 42 were male and 108 were fem ale. 21 t o 62 y e a r s , with a mean age o f 38. T h e ir ages ranged from The m a j o r i t y began t r a i n i n g in 1980; only n in e began in t h e f a l l o f 1979, and 23 s t a r t e d t h e t r a i n i n g in 1981. The l a r g e s t e n r o l lm e n ts were i n th e a r e a s o f a c c o u n t i n g , c l e r i c a l s e r v i c e s , c o n s t r u c t i o n , and wel ding. The number o f c r e d i t hours completed ranged from 0 t o 91, with a mean o f 31. G r a d e -p o i n t aver ag es on a f o u r - p o i n t s c a l e (where A = 4 , A - = 3 . 7 , 109 B+ = 3 . 3 , B = 3, B- = 2 . 7 , C + = 2 . 3 , C = 2 , C- = 1 . 7 , D+ = 1 . 3 , D = l , D - = . 7 , and E = 0} ranged from 0.00 t o 4 . 0 0 , w i th a mean o f 2.83.^ Since t h e s t a t i s t i c a l d a t a in t h e f o ll o w i n g s e c t i o n s a r e based on s u r v e y - r e s p o n d e n t i n f o r m a t i o n , t h e demographic in f o r m a ti o n used was a l s o l i m i t e d t o t h a t from t h e 103 r e s p o n d e n t s . p r e s e n t s demographic d a t a f o r t h e two gro up s. Ta ble 6 As d i s c u s s e d in Chap­ t e r I I I , g r a d e - p o i n t average was th e only v a r i a b l e on which t h e r e was a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e a t t h e .05 l e v e l between t h e res p o n d en ts and nonresp ondents . (Demographic d a ta f o r i n d i v i d u a l p a r t i c i p a n t s a r e i n clu d ed in Appendix C.) Although t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s had been away from school f o r many y e a r s and had had l i t t l e time t o s e l e c t t r a i n i n g programs, t h i s did not seem t o a f f e c t them a d v e r s e l y . Taking f u l l - t i m e coursework, they were j u s t as s u c c e s s f u l as o t h e r community-college s t u d e n t s , as meas­ ured by g r a d e - p o i n t a v e r a g e s . Reaction t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s . —Secti on A o f t h e survey i n s t r u ­ ment asked p a r t i c i p a n t s t o respond t o a l i s t o f c o l l e g e - s e r v i c e - g o a l s ta t e m e n t s i n two ways: 1. I n d i c a t e how much importance th ey f e l t should have been p laced on each s e r v i c e by choosing h i g h e s t im p o rt a n c e , very i m p o r t a n t , av erage im port ance , n o t very i m p o r t a n t , no im p o rt a n c e , o r no o p i n i o n . Although f i g u r e s f o r e x a c t comparison were n o t a v a i l a b l e , t h e mean g r a d e - p o i n t average appeared t o be ab out t h e same as t h a t o f a l l o t h e r Montcalm Community Colleg e s t u d e n t s dur in g t h e same p e r i o d o f ti m e. 110 Table 6 . —Demographic i n f o r m a t i o n : to tal. r e s p o n d e n t s , n o n r esp o n d en ts , and Respondents Nonrespondents Total 15 32 42 108 22-62 37.5 21-62 38.2 5 83 15 4 35 8 9 118 23 18 6 30 14 2 7 5 7 14 9 4 14 5 2 4 0 0 9 27 10 44 19 4 11 5 7 23 0-91 3 2.3 2-66 27.1 0-91 3 0.7 .25-4.00 2 .93 0-3.91 2.5 9 0 - 4 .0 0 2.83 Sex Hale Female 27 76 Age Range Mean 21-57 38.5 S ta rtin g date 1979 1980 1981 Program Accounting Auto Clerical Construction Legal s e c r e t a r y Medical s e c r e t a r y Nursing Social work Welding C r e d i t hours Range Mean GPA Range Mean Ill 2. I n d i c a t e how much importance th ey f e l t was p la c e d on each s e r v i c e by choosing h i g h e s t im port ance , very i m p o r t a n t , average im port ance , not very i m p o r t a n t , no im p o rtan ce , o r no knowledge. The t e n s e r v i c e - g o a l s ta t e m e n t s t o which p a r t i c i p a n t s responded and a p e r c e n t a g e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e i r re sp onses a r e shown i n Table 7. The p a r t i c i p a n t s ' r es po ns es i n d i c a t e d t h a t much importance should have been p laced on a l l o f t h e given s e r v i c e - g o a l s t a t e m e n t s . Although Items 3 and 6, d e a l i n g w i th t e s t i n g and r e t u r n i n g s t u d e n t s , r e c e i v e d s l i g h t l y lower rankings than o t h e r i t e m s , a t l e a s t 65 p e r c e n t of t h e resp on den ts r a t e d each s e r v i c e goal as being very im p o rtan t o r o f h i g h e s t importance. The p a r t i c i p a n t s ' r esp onses a l s o i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e c o l l e g e did p l a c e above -a ve ra ge importance on t h e s e r v i c e g o a l s , with th e e x c e p t io n o f Items 3 and 10, d e a l i n g with t e s t i n g and placement. At l e a s t 50 p e r c e n t o f t h e res po nde nts s t a t e d t h a t th e c o l l e g e had placed average t o h i g h e s t importance on each o f t h e o t h e r e i g h t s e r v i c e goals. Employment s t a t u s . —S e c t i o n B o f t h e survey i n s t r u m e n t asked p a r t i c i p a n t s t o i d e n t i f y themselves as being i n one o f f o u r employ­ ment c a t e g o r i e s : (1) employed f u l l t i m e , (2) employed p a r t t i m e , (3) unemployed—se ek in g employment, o r (4) unemployed—not se ek ing employment. Table 8 shows t h e number and p e r c e n t a g e o f resp onden ts i n each employment c a t e g o r y . 112 Table 7 . - - R ea ction t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s . Importance Placed Service-Goal S tatemen ts Response Freq. Pet. HI VI AI NV NI NA 56 27 7 1 6 4 101 55.4 26.7 6.9 1.0 5. 9 4.0 25 29 24 9 4 9 100 25.0 29.0 24.0 9.0 4.0 9.0 P r i o r t o t h e beginning o f c l a s s e s , s t u d e n t s w i l l be informed o f s e r v i c e s a v a i l ­ able a t the c o lle g e , i . e . , counseling, tu to rin g , developmental s k i l l s , lib ra ry , etc. Valid cas es HI VI AI NV NI NA 52 30 10 2 4 3 101 51.5 29.7 9.9 2.0 4.0 3.0 24 32 18 11 8 7 100 24.0 32.0 18.0 11.0 8.0 7.0 P r i o r t o beginning c l a s s e s , students w ill receive t e s t ­ ing to determine t h e l e v e l o f t h e i r math and r eading sk ills. HI VI AI NV NI NA 45 19 18 4 5 8 99 45.5 19 .2 18.2 4.0 5.1 8.1 21 12 14 12 22 18 99 21.2 12,1 14.1 12.1 22.2 18.2 HI VI AI NV NI NA 64 21 4 1 4 5 99 64.6 21.2 4.0 1.0 4. 0 5.1 25 25 21 10 11 9 101 24.8 24 .8 20.8 9.9 10.9 8.9 HI VI AI NV NI NA 54 30 7 1 4 2 98 55.1 30.6 7.1 1. 0 4.1 2.0 46 29 14 5 6 1 TOT 45.5 28.7 13.9 5.0 5.9 1.0 Valid cases 4. As a p a r t o f t h e e n r o l lm e n t p r o c e s s , s t u d e n t s w i l l be a s s i s t e d as th ey s e l e c t t h e i r s p e c if ic courses. Valid cases 5. Was Pet. Valid ca s es 3. Have Been Freq. P r i o r t o e n r o l lm e n t , s t u d e n t s w i l l be informed o f th e programs o f s tudy a v a i l a b l e a t th e c o l l e g e . 2. a During t h e time a s t u d e n t spends a t c o l l e g e , t h e s t u ­ d en t w i l l be t r e a t e d with r e s p e c t by f a c u l t y and staff. Valid cases 113 Table 7 . —Continued. Importance Placed Service-Goal S tatements Response a Should Have Been Freq. 6. The c o l l e g e w i l l make a s p e c i a l e f f o r t t o make persons r e t u r n i n g to school a f t e r an extended absence f e e l welcome. Pet. Was Freq. Pet. HI VI AI NV NI NA 36 28 15 4 3 13 ”5? 36.4 28.3 15.2 4.0 3.0 13.1 26 26 16 5 4 25 T05 25.5 25.5 15.7 4. 9 3.9 24.5 7. I f p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g i n d i c a t e s a s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t i n math s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e i n math s k i l l development. Valid cases HI VI AI NV NI NA 46 27 9 3 3 12 46.0 27.0 9.0 3.0 3.0 12.0 22 26 12 5 7 29 21.8 25.7 11.9 5.0 6.9 28.7 8. I f p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g i n d i c a t e s a s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t in r eading s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e in r ea din g s k i l l development. Valid ca s es HI VI AI NV NI NA 43 26 10 4 3 11 97 44.3 26.8 10.3 4.1 3.1 11.3 23 26 9 3 8 29 98 23.5 26.5 9.2 3.1 8.2 29.6 9. I n d iv id u a l t u t o r i n g s e r v i c e s w i l l be a v a i l a b l e f o r s t u ­ dents e x p e r ie n c in g d i f f i c u l ­ t i e s in one o r more c l a s s e s . HI VI AI NV NI NA 50 29 9 3 4 5 50.0 29.0 9.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 32 23 16 8 3 19 101 31.7 22.8 15.8 7.9 3.0 18.8 52 17 14 0 9 7 99 52.5 17.2 14.1 0.0 9.1 7.1 13 9 22 12 15 27 98 13.3 9.2 22.4 12.2 15.3 27.6 Valid cas es Valid cases 10. As s t u d e n t s n e a r completion o f t h e i r programs o f s t u d y , t h e c o l l e g e w i l l pro v id e j o b placement a s s i s t a n c e f o r th o s e who a r e s eekin g employment. Valid cas es HI VI AI NV NI NA loo Too lol a HI = h i g h e s t im po rtan ce , VI = very im port ant , AI = average import a n c e , NV = n o t very i m p o r t a n t , NI = no importance , NA = no o p in io n o r no knowledge. 114 Table 8 . —Employment s t a t u s o f r e s p o n d e n t s . (N = 102) Employment Status Absolute Frequency Relative Frequency ( P et) Adjusted Frequency ( P e t) Cumulative Frequency (P et) Full time 43 41.7 42.2 42.2 P a r t time 15 14.6 14.7 56.9 Unemployedseeking 33 32.0 32.4 89.2 Unempl oyed— n o t se ek ing 11 10.7 10.8 100.0 1 1.0 103 100.0 No res ponse Total • • 100.0 Those who were employed f u l l time were asked t o g iv e a t i t l e o r d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e i r p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n , t o compare t h e i r c u r r e n t wages with t h e i r wages a t C h r y s l e r , to i n d i c a t e whether t h e i r p r e s e n t employment was r e l a t e d t o t h e i r TAA t r a i n i n g , and t o compare t h e i r c u r r e n t job s a t i s f a c t i o n w it h t h e i r j o b s a t i s f a c t i o n a t C h r y s l e r . T h i r t y - n i n e o f t h e f u l l - t i m e - e m p l o y e d res p o n d en ts gave j o b t i t l e information: 2 i n d i c a t e d th e y h e ld p r o f e s s i o n a l j o b s , 4 mana­ g e r i a l , 3 s a l e s , 4 c l e r i c a l , 11 s e r v i c e , and 15 f a c t o r y work. compared t h e i r c u r r e n t wages w i th t h e i r wages a t C h r y s l e r : Forty-two 1 person i n d i c a t e d c u r r e n t wages were much h i g h e r , 4 s a i d h i g h e r , 4 s a i d t h e same, 10 s a i d l ow er, and 23 s a i d much lower. F o r t y - t h r e e people responded t o t h e q u e s t i o n con ce rn ing wh ethe r employment was r e l a t e d t o training: 8 i n d i c a t e d t h e i r employment was d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d t o t r a i n ­ i n g , 10 s a i d i t was somewhat r e l a t e d , and 25 s a i d i t was u n r e l a t e d . 115 Forty-two res p o n d en ts compared t h e i r c u r r e n t jo b s a t i s f a c t i o n with t h e i r job s a t i s f a c t i o n a t C h r y s l e r : 6 were much more s a t i s f i e d , 6 were more s a t i s f i e d , 15 expres sed t h e same s a t i s f a c t i o n , 6 were l e s s s a t i s f i e d , and 9 were much l e s s s a t i s f i e d th an t h e y had been a t C h r y s le r . Those who were employed p a r t time were asked t o g iv e a t i t l e o r d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e i r p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n , to i n d i c a t e why th e y were employed p a r t t i m e , t o i n d i c a t e whether t h e i r p r e s e n t employment was r e l a t e d t o t h e i r TAA t r a i n i n g , and t o compare t h e i r c u r r e n t jo b s a t i s ­ f a c t i o n w ith t h e i r j o b s a t i s f a c t i o n a t C h r y s le r . Fourteen p a r t-tim e - e m p lo y e d resp onden ts gave j o b - t i t l e i n f o r ­ mation: one i n d i c a t e d employment i n a p r o f e s s i o n a l p o s i t i o n , one m a n a g e r i a l , f o u r s a l e s , two c l e r i c a l , two c r a f t s , t h r e e s e r v i c e , and one f a c t o r y work. Fourteen i n d i v i d u a l s responded t o t h e q u e s ti o n 4 con ce rn ing th e reason f o r p a r t - t i m e employment: eight indicated th a t they were unable t o f i n d f u l l - t i m e employment, and s i x s a i d th ey p r e ­ f e r r e d t o work p a r t ti m e . Fo ur teen responded t o t h e q u e s t i o n concern­ ing whethe r employment was r e l a t e d t o t r a i n i n g : one s t a t e d t h a t i t was d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d , s i x s a i d somewhat r e l a t e d , and seven s a i d unrelated. T h i r t e e n compared t h e i r c u r r e n t job s a t i s f a c t i o n with t h e i r jo b s a t i s f a c t i o n a t C h r y s l e r : t h r e e were much more s a t i s f i e d , f o u r were more s a t i s f i e d , two e x p r ess ed t h e same s a t i s f a c t i o n , two were l e s s s a t i s f i e d , and two were much l e s s s a t i s f i e d . Those who were unemployed and s eeking employment were asked whethe r they would be w i l l i n g t o r e l o c a t e i f s u i t a b l e employment was found f o r them—and i f n o t , why n o t . E ig h t o f t h e 33 resp ond ents 116 s a i d th e y would r e l o c a t e , and 25 s a i d t h e y would n o t . Of t h e 25 who s a i d no, 16 gave economic concerns as t h e i r reason f o r n o t moving, 6 mentioned fa m ily or s o c i a l r e a s o n s , and 3 gave o t h e r r e a s o n s . Those who were unemployed and n o t se ek ing employment were asked whether they were n o t s eeking employment because o f fa m il y o b l i ­ g a t i o n s , discour agement due t o f a i l u r e in f in d i n g employment, c o n t i n ­ uing e d u c a t i o n , o r f o r o t h e r r e a s o n s . Of t h e 11 r e s p o n d e n t s , 4 i n d i c a t e d f am ily o b l i g a t i o n s , 1 disco ur ag em en t, 4 c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n , and 2 gave other reasons. Some gen er al comments can be made co ncerning t h e t o p i c o f employment s t a t u s . Of t h o s e employed f u l l t i m e , most were working in f a c t o r y o r s e r v i c e p o s i t i o n s — 39 and 28 p e r c e n t , r e s p e c t i v e l y . More than 50 p e r c e n t o f those who compared t h e i r c u r r e n t wages with t h e i r C h r y s le r wages (23 out o f 42 r e sp o n d e n t s ) were making much lower wages than they had earned a t C h r y s le r . The m a j o r i t y o f both th e p a r t - t i m e and f u ll - t i m e - e m p l o y e d resp onden ts had jo b s u n r e l a t e d t o t h e i r t r a i n ­ in g . A ls o , t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h i s same group was a t l e a s t as s a t i s f i e d with t h e i r c u r r e n t jo b s as the y had been w i th t h e i r j o b s a t C h r y s l e r . P e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . — In S e c t i o n C o f t h e s u r v e y , p a r t i c i p a n t s were asked to s t r o n g l y a g r e e , a g r e e , i n d i c a t e no o p i n i o n , d i s a g r e e , o r s t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e with 14 s ta t e m e n t s conce rni ng program benefit. Each re sp o n s e from s t r o n g l y a g r ee t o s t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e was a s s i g n e d a number value o f 1 t o 5, r e s p e c t i v e l y . Since S ta tem ents 2, 5, 8 , 10, and 14 were p r e s e n t e d in a n e g a t i v e f a s h i o n , th e y were sco red i n r e v e r s e o r d e r , where 1 = 5 , 2 = 4 , 3=3, 4=2, and 5 = 1 . Table 9 117 shows th e 14 s ta t e m e n t s and a frequency d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e respons es to each s t a t e m e n t . Table 9 . - - P e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . Response9 S ta tem en t Abs. Freq. R el. Freq. (Pet) Adj. Freq. ( P e t) Cum. Freq. (P et) SA A N D SD 78 19 1 3 1 T02 75.7 18.4 1.0 2.9 1.0 76.5 18.6 1.0 2.9 1.0 76.5 95.1 96.1 99.0 100.0 2. I f e e l I would be b e t t e r o f f today i f I had chosen something o t h e r than TRA t r a i n i n g when C h r y s l e r closed. Valid ca s es SA A N D SD 8 10 20 25 38 101 7.8 9. 7 19.4 14.3 36.9 7.9 9.9 19.8 24.8 37.6 7.9 17.8 27.7 52.5 100.0 3. I a c q u i r e d v a l u a b l e s k i l l s through rqy TRA training. SA A N D SD 50 38 9 3 2 102 48.5 36.9 8.7 2.9 1.9 49.0 37.3 8.8 2.9 2.0 49. 0 86. 3 95.1 98.0 100.0 SA A N D SD 62 35 3 1 1 102 60.2 34.0 2.9 1.0 1.0 60.8 34.3 2.9 1.0 1.0 60.8 95.1 98.0 99.0 100.0 SA A N D SD 24 18 18 26 12 “ §8 23.3 17.5 17.5 25.2 11.7 24.5 18.4 18.4 26.5 12.2 24.5 42.8 61.2 87.8 100.0 1. I am p le a s e d t h a t I p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e ^ TRA t r a i n i n g program. Va lid ca ses Valid ca s es 4. I a c q u ir e d v a l u a b l e knowl­ edge through nqy TRA t r a i n ­ in g . Va lid cas es 5. My TRA t r a i n i n g pr ep ared me f o r a t y p e o f employ­ ment which i s simply not available. V ali d cases 118 Table 9 . —Continued. S ta tem en t Response3 Freq' Rel. Freq. (Pet) Adj. Freq. ( P e t) Cum. Freq. ( P e t) SA A N D SD 70 24 3 3 2 102 68.0 23.3 2.9 2.9 1.9 68.6 23.5 2.9 2.9 2. 0 68.6 92.2 95.1 98.0 100.0 SA A N D SD 79 17 1 4 1 102 76.7 16.5 1.0 3.9 1.0 77.5 16.7 1.0 3.9 1.0 77.5 94.1 95.1 99.0 100.0 SA A N D SD 8 9 14 37 34 102 7.8 8.7 13.6 35.9 33.0 7. 8 8.8 13.7 36.3 33.3 7.8 16.7 30.4 66.7 100.0 9. My a d ju stm en t t o t h e Chrys­ l e r p l a n t c l o s i n g was made e a s i e r ( f i n a n c i a l l y & emo­ t i o n a l l y ) because o f th e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f TRA fu n d in g . Valid ca s es SA A N D SD 71 19 5 4 3 102 68.9 18.4 4.9 3.9 2.9 69.6 18.6 4.9 3.9 2.9 69.6 88.2 93.1 97.1 100.0 10. Most o f t h e o t h e r TRA t r a i n ­ ing p a r t i c i p a n t s w ith ^ ' : I have t a l k e d f e l t t h e i r TRA t r a i n i n g was o f l i t t l e o r no val ue to them. Valid ca s es SA A N D SD 6 22 26 32 14 100 5.8 21.4 25.2 31.1 13.6 6.0 22.0 26.0 32.0 14.0 6.0 28.0 54.0 86.0 100.0 6. I f a f r i e n d was 1a i d - o f f and could q u a l i f y , I would recommend TRA t r a i n i n g t o him /h er . Valid cases 7. The TRA funding f o r t r a i n i n g was a very i m p o rt a n t b e n e f i t . Valid ca s es 8. I f e e l my TRA t r a i n i n g had l i t t l e r e l a t i o n s h i p to th e " r e a l w o r l d ." Valid ca s es 119 Table 9 . —Continued. S tatement Response3 11. Rega rdless o f i t s p r e s e n t im pa ct, I f e e l my TRA t r a i n i n g w i l l be h e lp f u l t o me in t h e f u t u r e . Cum. Freq. ( P e t) 49 .5 36.9 7.8 1.9 2.9 $0.0 37.3 7.8 2.0 2.9 50.0 87.3 95.1 97.1 100.0 SA A N D SD 49 32 15 3 2 TOT 47.6 31.1 14.6 2.9 1.9 48.5 31.7 14.9 3. 0 2.0 48.5 80,2 95.0 98.0 100.0 SA A N D SD 54 30 9 4 4 101 52.4 29.1 8.7 3.9 3.9 53.5 29.7 8.9 4.0 4.0 53.5 83.2 92.1 96 .0 100.0 SA A N D SD 10 7 8 21 36 82 9.7 6.8 7. 8 20.4 35.0 12.2 8.5 9.8 25.6 43 .9 12.2 20.7 30.5 56.1 100.0 Valid ca s es 14. Looking back, I wish I had ac ce pted a t r a n s f e r t o a n o t h e r C h r y s le r p l a n t . (Omit t h i s q u e s ti o n i f no t r a n s f e r o f f e r was made.) Valid cases Adj. Freq. (P et.) 51 38 8 2 3 102 Va lid ca s es 13. On t h e whole, I f e e l t h e money expended on TRA t r a i n i n g was wise use o f t a x p a y e r money. Rel. Freq. ( P e t) SA A N D SD Valid cases 12. Because o f my TRA t r a i n ­ i n g , I f e e l I am, and w i ll c o n ti n u e t o b e , a more informed c i t i z e n . Abs. Freq. aSA = s t r o n g l y a g r e e , A = a g r e e , N = have no o p i n i o n , D = d i s a g r e e , SD = s t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e . i. The acronym TRA was used because th e s e r v i c e ag encies and p a r ­ t i c i p a n t s r e f e r r e d to t h e TAA program i n t h a t way. 120 P a r t i c i p a n t s ' r es po nses t o s ta t e m e n t s co ncerning program b e n e f i t were very p o s i t i v e . More than 50 p e r c e n t agr<~-*d o r s t r o n g l y agreed with th e p o s i t i v e a s p e c t o f each s t a t e m e n t ; an e x c e p t io n was S tatem en t 5, on which more th a n h a l f o f t h e respon dents agreed with t h e n e g a t i v e s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e i r TRA t r a i n i n g pr epare d them f o r a ty p e o f employment t h a t i s simply n o t a v a i l a b l e . The s t r o n g e s t p o s i t i v e resp o n s es t o s i n g l e items were given t o Statem en t 7, which s t a t e d t h a t t h e TRA funding f o r t r a i n i n g was a very im p o rta n t b e n e f i t , and S tatement 1, which s t a t e d t h a t th e p a r t i c i p a n t was glad h e/she had p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e TRA program. Ana lysis As o u t l i n e d in Chapter I I I , s e v e r a l procedures were used to an a ly z e t h e r e s u l t s from t h i s s tu d y . F i r s t , based on g o a l s - a n d - e x p e c t a t i o n s d a t a c o l l e c t e d from t h e t h r e e groups (MESC, community c o l l e g e , and p a r t i c i p a n t s ) , common and c o n f l i c t i n g go als and expec­ t a t i o n s were d e s c r i b e d . Second, based on t h e in fo r m a tio n d e s c r i b i n g program proc es s (what happened and how i t happened) c o l l e c t e d from th e t h r e e g r oups, a f o u r t h p o i n t o f view ( e t i c ) was used t o d e s c r i b e t h e f i n d i n g s from an o b s e r v a t i o n a l r a t h e r than an " i n s i d e " p e r s p e c ­ tive. T h i r d , in c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e r e a c t i o n - t o - c o l l e g e - s e r v i c e s d a t a , t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r , by means o f a Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n , t e s t e d th e r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' view o f how much impor­ ta n c e should have been placed on a s e t o f c o l l e g e - s e r v i c e go als and t h e i r view o f how much importance was a c t u a l l y pla ce d on t h e s e same services. F o u r th , t h e remaining d ata conce rn ing th e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' 121 e d u c a t i o n a l achievem en t, employment s t a t u s , and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t were used t o t e s t th e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s and e i g h t q u e s t i o n s . Common and C o n f l i c t i n g Goals and E x pe cta tio ns Each o f t h e t h r e e groups had e x t e r n a l m o tiv a t io n f o r becoming invo lv ed i n t h e TAA t r a i n i n g p r o c e s s . HESC's involvement was man­ dat ed by law, Montcalm Community C olleg e was d i r e c t e d by i t s b a s i c philosoph y o f t h e c o l l e g e ' s m i s s i o n , and t h e d i s p l a c e d workers were encouraged by t h e extended t r a d e r e a d ju s tm e n t b e n e f i t s . Although t h e s e m o t i v a t o r s were unique t o each group and n o t h e ld in common, th e y did n o t ap pe ar t o c o n f l i c t w it h each o t h e r . Each agency had a s p e c i f i c s e t o f s e r v i c e g o a ls in mind. MESC in t e n d e d to 1. Find j obs and p l a c e workers in them 2. P rovide s u p p o r t i v e s e r v i c e s f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers Montcalm Community College in te n d e d to 1. Provide j o b - r e l a t e d s k i l l t r a i n i n g 2. A s s i s t d i s p l a c e d workers in f i n d i n g new jo b s 3. Encourage s e lf - d e v e lo p m e n t The two ag e n c ie s sh ared t h e common goal o f f i n d i n g j o b s and p l a c i n g t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s in them. This goal was a number-one p r i o r i t y f o r MESC and was o f secondary i n t e r e s t t o t h e community college. The two a g e n c ie s a l s o s h a re d t h e common goal o f t r a i n i n g th e p a r t i c i p a n t s and improving t h e i r j o b s k i l l s . This goal was a number-one p r i o r i t y f o r t h e community c o l l e g e and was o f secondary i n t e r e s t t o MESC. The f i n a l community-college s e r v i c e g o a l , 122 encouraging s e l f - d e v e l o p m e n t , alt hough n o t s p e c i f i c a l l y in c lu d e d in th e l i s t o f MESC s e r v i c e s , was c l o s e l y r e l a t e d t o i t s s u p p o r t i v e services function. The r e s u l t s t h a t each group expected from t h e TAA t r a i n i n g program, l i s t e d in o r d e r o f p r i o r i t y , were as f o l l o w s : MESC ex pected 1. Employment f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers 2. Funding allowances t h a t would s o f t e n t h e f i n a n c i a l blow t o i n d i v i d u a l s and t h e community Montcalm Community College expected 1. Improved j o b s k i l l s f o r th e d i s p l a c e d workers 2. I n c re a s e d e n r o l l m e n t s f o r t h e community c o l l e g e 3. Improved s e l f - i m a g e s and in c r e a s e d knowledge and m o b i l i t y f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers The p a r t i c i p a n t s expected 1. Improved j o b s k i l l s 2. Extended funding allowances 3. Employment 4. General knowledge Although t h e p r i o r i t y l i s t i n g o f t h e expected r e s u l t s was n o t t h e same f o r a l l t h r e e g r o u p s , t h e r e was a g r e a t deal o f commonality in t h e i r expectations. Each expec ted outcome t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s e x p r ess ed was matched by an ag ency-expected outcome. Job s k i l l s and general knowledge were matched by community-college e x p e c t a t i o n s , and extended b e n e f i t s and employment were matched by MESC e x p e c t a t i o n s . 123 There does not ap pe ar t o have been d i r e c t c o n f l i c t among th e t h r e e groups in terms o f expected r e s u l t s . Even t h e community c o l l e g e ' s i n t e r e s t i n i n c r e a s e d e n r o l l m e n t s , which was not matched by t h e o t h e r two g r oups, did n o t n e c e s s a r i l y c o n f l i c t with t h e expec­ ta tio n s of the o th e r s . I t should be n o t e d , however, t h a t t h e r e was potential for c o n flic t. This p o t e n t i a l l a y i n th e f o ll o w i n g a r e a s : (1) t h e community c o l l e g e ' s i n t e r e s t in i n c r e a s e d e n r o llm e n t s and (2) t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ' i n t e r e s t in funding allo w a n c e s . If eith er or both o f t h e s e had become s i n g l e - i n t e r e s t concerns f o r th e p a r t i e s i n v o l v e d , t h e program would have s u f f e r e d . What Happened and How I t Happened-The E t i c P o in t o f View Summer and f a l l 1979. — By l a t e June 1979, many p e o p le — Lyons C h r y s l e r employees, s o c i a l - s e r v i c e a g e n c i e s , and t h e news media—were b u s i l y a tt e m p t i n g t o deal with th e f a c t t h a t t h e Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t would soon c l o s e . Given t h i s common concern and t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e I o n ia County Departments o f Social S e r v ic e s and Mental H e a l th , a Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Council was formed. With t h i s c o u n cil as a f o cal p o i n t , v a r io u s groups worked toward f in d i n g s o l u t i o n s t o th e impending problem o f n e a r l y 900 a d d i t i o n a l unemployed people in a county t h a t , a t t h a t t i m e , had an unemployment r a te of 8.4 percent. I n i t i a l concern was f o r th e f i n a n c i a l , p h y s i c a l , and mental well being o f t h o s e who would soon be unemployed. Since many o f t h e same employees had exper ien ce d a s i m i l a r s i t u a t i o n f i v e y e a r s e a r l i e r , they seemed t o ta k e t h e t r o u b l e in s t r i d e . They were concerned an d, t o 124 some d e g r e e , an gry -- concerned abou t what was going t o happen t o them and angry a t C h r y s le r f o r moving t h e i r work t o a n o t h e r p l a n t and terminating t h e i r jobs. In a d d i t i o n t o t h e i r union-sp ons ored subpay, t h e workers hoped t h a t th e y could q u a l i f y , as the y had in 1974, f o r TAA b e n e f i t s . The weekly allowances had helped g r e a t l y du r in g t h e i r 1974 j o b l e s s ­ ness b e f o r e t h e p l a n t reopened. Various a g e n c i e s informed t h e employees o f a v a i l a b l e s e r v i c e s by compiling a s e r v i c e d i r e c t o r y , o r g a n i z i n g s e v e r a l mass m e e tin g s, and communicating through th e l o c a l (JAW union r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . The employees p r epare d and su bmitted a l e t t e r t o P r e s i d e n t C a r t e r as king t h a t th ey be r ecognized f o r b e n e f i t s under th e Trade Act o f 1974. Because Lyons C h r y s le r work had been moved t o Canada and because s u f f i c i e n t time had e l a p s e d between t h e 1974 and 1979 c l o s i n g s , th e workers were c e r t i f i e d as being e l i g i b l e f o r TAA b e n e f i t s . They were informed o f t h i s i n a l e t t e r dated August 6 , 1979, and signed by Marvin M. Fooks, D i r e c t o r o f t h e O f f i c e o f Trade Adjustment A ssistance. (See Appendix A f o r a copy o f t h i s l e t t e r . ) The d i s p l a c e d w o r k e r s , as well as t h e s e r v i c e - a g e n c y personnel who se rv ed on t h e Community S e r v ic e C o u n c il, were pl eas ed w it h th e p o s i t i v e r e sp o n s e . With TAA e l i g i b i l i t y , i t appeared t h a t t h e r e would be a d d i t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t and a s s i s t a n c e f o r th o s e who wished t o t r a i n f o r new j o b s o r t o r e l o c a t e . Using t h e Community S e r v ic e Council as a c e n t e r f o r i n f o r m a t i o n exchange and as a base f o r communicating, MESC and Montcalm Community College endeavored t o make t h e d i s p l a c e d workers aware o f t r a i n i n g p o s s i b i l i t i e s . Since 125 th e announcement o f b e n e f i t s d id n o t reach a l l o f th e p o t e n t i a l l y e l i g i b l e people u n t i l mid- t o l a t e - A u g u s t , l i t t l e i n t e r e s t was shown in t r a i n i n g , and only n in e d i s p l a c e d workers r e g i s t e r e d f o r c o u r s e work f o r f a l l se m e ste r 1979. During October and November, a d d i t i o n a l s t a f f members were h i r e d a t t h e I onia MESC o f f i c e , and TAA r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s were more s p e c i f i c a l l y d e f i n e d . During t h i s t im e , MESC s t a f f in conjunc ­ t i o n with Montcalm Community College s t a f f made an e f f o r t to inform a l l p o t e n t i a l l y e l i g i b l e people t h a t , n o t only would TAA pay f o r th e t r a i n i n g o f d i s p l a c e d worke rs , i n c l u d i n g t r a n s p o r t a t i o n a llo w a n c e s , but t h a t t h o s e who were in f u l l - t i m e approved t r a i n i n g programs could have t h e i r weekly b e n e f i t s extended from 52 t o 78 weeks. The former Lyons C h r y s l e r workers were encouraged t o apply f o r t r a i n i n g e l i g i ­ b i l i t y as soon as p o s s i b l e . Each ex-worker had s i x months from th e time o f h i s / h e r employment-termination d a t e t o e s t a b l i s h t r a i n i n g elig ib ility . A f t e r becoming e l i g i b l e , t h e d i s p l a c e d worker had t o dec ide on a c e r t a i n program o f stu d y and have t h a t program approved and a c o n t r a c t signed between th e t r a i n i n g agency and a Department o f Labor r e p r e s e n t a t i v e . November and December 1979 were f i l l e d with a g r e a t deal o f activity. MESC pe rsonnel informed t h e ex-employees and a s s i s t e d them with t h e i r plann in g and paperwork. The d i s p l a c e d workers took t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s t e p s t o e s t a b l i s h t h e i r t r a i n i n g e l i g i b i l i t y , and th o s e who wanted t o begin t r a i n i n g immediately decided on s p e c i f i c programs and r e g i s t e r e d f o r c l a s s e s , which would begin i n January 1980. Community-college s t a f f members pro vided c a r e e r c o u n s e l i n g , 126 academic ad vise m e nt, and a s s i s t a n c e in r e g i s t r a t i o n . Some 100 d i s p l a c e d workers completed t h e e n t i r e proce ss dur in g November and December, i . e . , ( ! ) e s t a b l i s h e d t r a i n i n g e l i g i b i l i t y , (2) chose a s p e c i f i c t r a i n i n g program and had i t approved by means o f a sig ne d c o n t r a c t , and (3) r e g i s t e r e d f o r se cond-s em est er c l a s s e s (January through May 1980). Winter and s p r i n g 1980. —As 1980 began, with more than 100 f u l l - t i m e s t u d e n t s in a t t e n d a n c e , th e two agen ci es had t h e i r hands fu ll. MESC was working with s e v e r a l o t h e r t r a i n i n g i n s t i t u t i o n s b e s i d e s Montcalm Community College and s t i l l had hundreds o f d i s p l a c e d workers who had e s t a b l i s h e d t r a i n i n g e l i g i b i l i t y b u t had not y e t chosen t r a i n i n g programs. MESC was a l s o r e s p o n s i b l e f o r p ro c e s s i n g th e n e c e s s a r y paperwork to v e r i f y c l a s s a t t e n d a n c e , t r a v e l m il e a g e , and o t h e r c o l l e g e - r e l a t e d c o s t s , as well as f o r p r o c e s s i n g t h e weekly tr a d e - r e a d j u s t m e n t - a l l o w a n c e f un ds. At Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , c l a s s s i z e s expanded g r e a t l y durin g second s e m e s t e r , a time when the e n r o l lm e n t normally tended t o be lower. Because t h e r e was no o t h e r p r a c t i c a l method f o r ta k i n g a t t e n d a n c e , t h e te a c h i n g f a c u l t y and c o l l e g e s u p p o r t s t a f f d evise d and implemented an a t t e n d a n c e procedure t h a t was n o t used f o r r e g u l a r c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s . But perhaps t h e g r e a t e s t amount o f c o l l e g e - s t a f f time was r e q u i r e d t o deal with th e many ex-workers who had n o t y e t chosen programs and sig n ed c o n t r a c t s . In t h e meantime, t h e program p a r t i c i p a n t s , f i n d i n g themselves i n t h e r o l e o f f u l l - t i m e s t u d e n t s , were concerned about t h e i r new r e s p o n s i ­ b i l i t i e s as s t u d e n t s . 127 During February and March, o r i e n t a t i o n and t e s t i n g p r o c e ­ dures were developed t o handle t h e n e a r l y 100 a d d i t i o n a l former Lyons C h r y s l e r workers who would develop s p e c i f i c programs in s p r i n g 1980. Some 25 o f t h e s e i n d i v i d u a l s a l s o had t h e i r c o n t r a c t s signed by th e end o f March. For t h o s e who had n o t had c o n t r a c t s signed by April 1, 1980, t h e pr o c e ss came t c a h a l t . O f f i c i a l word came from t h e f e d ­ e r a l l e v e l through s t a t e chan nels t o s to p w r i t i n g a l l c o n t r a c t s as o f A pril 1. To accommodate t h e new TAA s t u d e n t s who d e s i r e d to take as much u n i n t e r r u p t e d coursework as p o s s i b l e du r in g t h e i r 78-week e l i ­ g i b i l i t y p e r i o d , a s p e c i a l s e s s i o n was s t a r t e d in Apr il 1980, and two six-week summer-school s e s s i o n s were ar ra n g e d r a t h e r than t h e normal eig ht-w ee k s e s s i o n . The 1980-81 school .year. —During summer 1980, a new i n t e r p r e ­ t a t i o n o f r e g u l a t i o n s came a b o u t , which allowed d i s p l a c e d workers whose e l i g i b i l i t y f o r t r a i n i n g had a l r e a d y been e s t a b l i s h e d t o pay t h e c o s t o f t h e i r own s ch o o li n g and th e r e b y be a b l e t o r e c e i v e a 26-week e x t e n s io n o f t r a d e r e a d j u s t m e n t a l lo w a n c e s , which by t h i s time had r i s e n from $250 t o $289 pe r week. s t u d e n t s began c l a s s e s i n f a l l 1980. Thus, a few new TAA Paying t h e i r own way might n o t have been as a t t r a c t i v e as t h e p r ev io u s ar ra ngem ent, b u t i t d id p r o ­ vide an e x t e n s io n o f allo w a n c e s . A ls o , t h e a r e a unemployment r a t e had r i s e n t o and remained above 12 p e r c e n t durin g t h e summer months, so t h e p r o s p e c t s f o r f i n d i n g employment were n o t good. During f a l l 1980, an a d d i t i o n a l 12 people chose t h e s e l f - p a i d - t r a i n i n g o p t i o n and completed th e paperwork n e c e s s a r y f o r s e cond-s em ester e n r o l lm e n t . 128 The a p proxim a te ly 120 ex-workers who were e n r o l l e d a t t h e community c o l l e g e du rin g f a l l se m e st e r were an i n t e g r a l p a r t o f t h e s t u d e n t body. I t was no lo n g e r p o s s i b l e t o d i s t i n g u i s h them from t h e o t h e r s in r e g u l a r c o l l e g e a t t e n d a n c e . Because t h e i r TAA con­ t r a c t s had time l i m i t s , t h e d i s p l a c e d workers were s e r i o u s s t u d e n t s and a ttem p ted to complete t h e i r c l a s s e s s u c c e s s f u l l y . They became a c t i v e members o f s t u d e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n s and p a r t i c i p a t e d in e x t r a ­ curricular a c tiv itie s. Completing th e paperwork r e q u i r e d t o v e r i f y a t t e n d a n c e , t r a v e l , and so on, became r o u t i n e f o r both t h e p a r t i c i ­ pan ts and t h e agency s t a f f members. Although t h e 1980-81 academic y e a r was p r o d u c t iv e in t h e s en se t h a t th e p a r t i c i p a n t s s u c c e s s f u l l y completed many c r e d i t hours o f i n s t r u c t i o n , i t was not n e a r l y as h e c t i c as t h e prev ious y e a r had been. In March 1981, t h e I onia MESC conducted an i n i t i a l follow-up s tu d y . A q u e s t i o n n a i r e was s e n t t o 148 i n d i v i d u a l s who had r e c e i v e d TAA-approved t r a i n i n g ( t h e fo ll ow -up in c lu d e d b u t was n o t l i m i t e d t o th o s e who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community Co lleg e) as well as t h o s e who had n o t p a r t i c i p a t e d i n TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . f o r t h o s e who had t r a i n e d was 42 p e r c e n t . The employment r a t e Although t h i s f i g u r e seems low, i t was n e a r l y double t h e r a t e f o r a l l t h o s e who had been e l i g i b l e f o r t r a i n i n g under th e TAA p e t i t i o n . In May 1981, t h e Michigan l e g i s l a t u r e , r e c o g n i z i n g t h e con­ t i n u i n g high l e v e l o f unemployment, passed l e g i s l a t i o n t o s u p p o r t community-college involvement i n TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . The l e g i s ­ l a t u r e s e t a s i d e $500,000 on a s t a t e w i d e b a s i s , t o be a l l o t t e d t o community c o l l e g e s a t a r a t e o f $10 p e r s t u d e n t c r e d i t hour f o r a l l 129 d i s p l a c e d workers e n r o l l e d a f t e r A pril 1 , 1981. Table 10 i s a compila­ t i o n of d a ta on Michigan community c o l l e g e TAA-related t r a i n i n g between April and October 1981. Table 1 0 . —TAA r e c i p i e n t s e n r o l l e d in Michigan community c o l l e g e s : April 1 , 1 9 8 1 , t o October 1, 1981. Community College Headcount Alpena Bay de Noc D elta College Glen Oaks Community College Grand Rapids J u n i o r Colleg e Henry Ford Community College Highland Park Community College Kalamazoo Valley Community College K i r tl a n d Community C olleg e Lake Michigan College Montcalm Community College S t. C l a i r County Community College Wayne County Community College West Shore Community College Total Source: Student C r e d i t Hours 2 3 786 0 0 641 248 16 5 0 47 131 1 ,500? 21 b 33 48 7,860 0 0 5,850 2,959 249 32 0 627 1,448 19,000 3,400 38,106 * ■ * Michigan Community College A s s o c i a t i o n , in f o r m a ti o n a l memorandum, s p r i n g 1982. (Mimeographed.) a Estimated t o t a l i n d i v i d u a l headcount. ^ P o t e n t i a l s t u d e n t s —no f i r m co unt y e t . Summer and f a l l 1981. —During summer 1981, unemployment remained high i n Michigan and p a r t i c u l a r l y high i n t h e I o n ia County a r e a , hov erin g around 12 p e r c e n t . At t h e f e d e r a l l e v e l , t h e Reagan A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , i n t h e process o f trimming many government programs, was t a l k i n g about p l a c i n g l i m i t a t i o n s on TAA. 130 For t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s who were e n r o l l e d a t Montcalm Community Colleg e f a l l se m e ste r 1981, October 1 turn e d out t o be an im port ant date. On t h a t d a t e , t h e Reagan A d m i n i s t r a t i o n implemented d r a s t i c changes in TAA f u n d in g . The changes caused g r e a t concern in Michigan, where many TAA d o l l a r s had a l r e a d y been s p e n t and where t h e r e was hope f o r many more. S. Martin T a y lo r , s t a t e d i r e c t o r o f t h e MESC, expres sed h i s concern ab ou t t h e s e changes in a September 1981 l e t t e r t o two Michigan l e g i s l a t o r s . These changes w i l l have a d e v a s t a t i n g e f f e c t on many o f th e i n d i v i d u a l s c u r r e n t l y in t r a i n i n g and th o s e plan ning t o a t t e n d t r a i n i n g under t h e p r o v is i o n s o f t h e Trade Act. I w i l l l i s t t h e changes i n terms o f th e impact on c u r r e n t and f u t u r e TRA c l a i m a n t s . 1. E f f e c t i v e October 1 , 1981, t h e TRA payment r a t e w i l l be reduced t o t h e maximum s t a t e unemployment r a t e t h e c l a i m a n t i s e l i g i b l e t o r e c e i v e . In Michigan, th e upper l i m i t o f TRA i s c u r r e n t l y $289 p e r week. The maximum s t a t e unemployment r a t e i s $182 p e r week. Some 24,000 TRA cl a im a n t s w i l l have t h e i r pay­ ments reduced by a t l e a s t $107 p er week f o r a t o t a l weekly r e d u c ­ t i o n o f $3.4 m i l l i o n t o th o s e i n d i v i d u a l s . 2. Another 8,000 TRA c l a i m a n t s , c u r r e n t l y r e c e i v i n g up t o $289 p e r week dur in g an e x t e n s io n o f t h e i r TRA claims w h i le a t t e n d i n g t r a i n i n g , w i l l be c u t o f f e n t i r e l y a f t e r October 1 , 1981. These 8,000 i n d i v i d u a l s e i t h e r do n o t meet t h e new " r u l e " which s t a t e s th e y ca nn ot r e c e i v e b e n e f i t s beyond 78 weeks from th e time th ey exhausted t h e i r r e g u l a r s t a t e c l a i m , o r t h e new " r u l e " t h a t s t a t e s t h e r e can be no break between t h e TRA claim and t h e TRA e x t e n s i o n . The 8,000 f i g u r e i s only an e s t i m a t e , a l b e i t a c o n s e r v a t i v e one, as i n d i v i d u a l d e t e r m in a t i o n s have t o be made on every c l a i m a n t . These 8,000 c la i m a n ts w i l l l o s e appr oximate ly $2.3 m i l l i o n p e r week i n b e n e f i t s . 3. We w i l l no l o n g e r be a b l e t o approve t r a i n i n g programs f o r i n d i v i d u a l s who pl an t o f i n a n c e t h e i r own programs. As t h e r e were very few o t h e r o u t l e t s t o pay f o r an i n d i v i d u a l ' s t r a i n i n g , we e s t i m a t e t h a t t h i s w i l l e f f e c t i v e l y p r e v e n t most new e n t r a n t s t o t r a i n i n g . Based on our e x p e r ie n c e ov er t h e p a s t e i g h t weeks, about 500 i n d i v i d u a l s p e r week who planned s e l f f in a n c e d t u i t i o n w i l l be s h u t o f f from e n t e r i n g t r a i n i n g . These 500 t r a i n e e s would have drawn about $140,000 p e r week i n t r a i n i n g benefits. The n e t e f f e c t i s t h a t alm ost 40,000 i n d i v i d u a l s , and Michi­ g a n ' s econony, w i l l l o s e a minimum o f $6 m i l l i o n p e r week as a r e s u l t o f t h e changes i n t h e Trade Act. 131 For t h e 14 p a r t i c i p a n t s s t i l l e n r o l l e d a t Montcalm Community C o l le g e , t h e e f f e c t o f t h e changes i n TAA was troubles ome. Seven o f t h e 14 had begun school i n September, borrowing money to do s o . t h e i r funds had been tak en away. Now, Five o f t h o s e seven dropped o u t ; the o t h e r s co ntinued through t h e sem e ster on t h e i r own f un ds. By th e end o f December 1981, th e TAA program had ended, althou gh a few p a r ­ t i c i p a n t s co ntinued to complete coursework w it h t h e i r own funds. During t h e f i n a l months o f 1981, th e unemployment r a t e s in both Ionia County and in Michigan c o ntinued t o r i s e . I o n ia County unemployment r a t e s f o r November and December 1981 and January 1982 were 1 2 . 2 , 1 3 . 4 , and 16.4 p e r c e n t , r e s p e c t i v e l y , and by e a r l y 1982, Michigan's unemployment had reached i t s h i g h e s t re co rd ed l e v e l : Nearly one o f ever y s i x Michigan workers was unemployed in J a n u a r y , pushing t h e s t a t e ' s j o b l e s s r a t e t o 16 p e r c e n t —t h e h i g h e s t s i n c e 1958, t h e Michigan Employment S e c u r i t y Commission r e p o r t e d F r id a y . The January f i g u r e , which i s not a d j u s t e d f o r season al f l u c t u a t i o n s in employment, jumped from 14.4 p e r c e n t in December and 13.8 in Jan ua ry 1981, MESC D i r e c t o r S. Martin Taylor s a i d in a s t a t e m e n t . T a y lo r a t t r i b u t e d t h e s u b s t a n t i a l i n c r e a s e t o th e co nti nued r e c e s s i o n i n t h e automobile and r e l a t e d i n d u s t r i e s . (The [ G r e e n v i l l e , Michigan! Daily News, February 5, 1982) In t o t a l , 150 former C h r y s le r workers had tak en TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g a t Montcalm Community C o l le g e . The t r a i n ­ ing proc es s had c r e a t e d a d d i t i o n a l a c t i v i t y f o r MESC and Montcalm Community College and had p r e s e n te d a new and d i f f e r e n t c h a l l e n g e f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers. In g e n e r a l , a l l t h r e e groups seemed to work c o o p e r a t i v e l y toward making th e p roc es s r e a so n a b l y p r o d u c t iv e . Mixing governmental p r o c e d u r e s , e d u c a t i o n a l p r a c t i c e , and 150 d i s p l a c e d workers does p r e s e n t problems. Respondents in a l l t h r e e 132 groups d e s c r i b e d th e need f o r more and b e t t e r in fo rm ati o n during th e e a r l y months o f t h e program. The h e c t i c pace took i t s t o l l on a l l in v o lv e d , and n o t a l l p a r t i c i p a n t s could o r did su cc ee d. How­ e v e r , from a l l a p p e a r a n c e s , t h e problems were g e n e r a l l y viewed as common concerns and were j o i n t l y r e s o l v e d . th e o t h e r as caus ing problems. N e i th e r agency pointed to And th e p a r t i c i p a n t s , who might well have been caught i n t h e middle had t h e two age nc ie s s quabble d, ex pres sed t h e f e e l i n g t h a t both a g en cies had at tem pted to pr ovide good s e r v i c e s . Discrepancy Between What Was and What Should Have Been: College S e r v ic e s In S e c ti o n I o f th e s u r v e y , p a r t i c i p a n t s were asked t o i n d i ­ c a t e t h e amount o f importance t h a t should have been p l a c e d , and then th e amount o f importance t h a t a c t u a l l y was p l a c e d , on a l i s t o f t e n college-service goals. The r e s u l t s from t h e 103 survey re sp onde nts were shown in Table 7. As t h a t t a b l e i n d i c a t e d , t h e o v e r a l l "should have been" r es po nses were h i g h e r th an t h e "was" r e s p o n s e s . This was t o be expected because t h e "should have been" r espons e was asking f o r th e i d e a l . e i g h t o u t o f te n Although t h e "was" respons es were low er, in cases th ey were s i m i l a r t o t h e "should have been" responses. To c o n s i d e r t h e s e d a t a more s p e c i f i c a l l y , c o r r e l a t i o n c o e f f i ­ c i e n t s were c a l c u l a t e d and c r o s s - t a b u l a t i o n t a b l e s were developed f o r each s e t o f r esp onses ("should have been" and "was") f o r t h e t e n service goals. As t h e Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n - c o e f f i c i e n t s c o r e s in 133 Table 11 show, t h e r e was a r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e importance t h a t r es p o n d en ts s a i d should have been plac ed and t h a t which was a c t u a l l y plac ed on S e r v ic e Goals 1, 2 , 4 , 5, 6 , 7, 8 , and 9. t i o n s h i p did n o t e x i s t f o r S e r v ic e Goals 3 and 10, That same r e l a ­ The c r o s s ­ t a b u l a t i o n t a b l e f o r S e r v ic e Goals 3 and 10 p o i n t s t o th e same d is c r e p a n c y . (See Table 1 2 . ) In both p a r t s o f Table 12, t h e numbers in t h e l o w e r - l e f t - h a n d c o r n e r show t h a t th e r e spondents f e l t "very im p o rta n t" t o " h i g h e s t im p o rtan t" s t a t u s should have been pla ce d on t h e s e s e r v i c e g o a l s , although "no importance" t o "not very im p o rta n t " s t a t u s was a c t u a l l y accorded t o them. In t h e r e s p o n d e n t s ' o p i n i o n s , much more importance should have been plac ed on p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g and placement s e r v i c e s than a c t u a l l y was plac ed on them. i S t a t i s t i c a l Anal ysis o f t h e Four P r o p o s i t i o n s In t h i s stu d y t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r posed f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s f o r analysis. sitions. Two s t a t i s t i c a l proce dure s were used t o t e s t t h e s e propo­ C h i- s q u a r e t e s t s were used on P r o p o s i t i o n s 1 and 2 , and t - t e s t s were run on P r o p o s i t i o n s 3 and 4 . The d e c i s i o n t o use t h e d i f f e r e n t a n a l y t i c a l approaches was based on t h e types o f d a t a g a t h e r e d ; i . e . , only c a t e g o r i c a l d a ta were c o l l e c t e d f o r P r o p o s i t i o n s 1 and 2 , whereas both c a t e g o r i c a l and cont inuo us d a t a were c o l l e c t e d f o r P r o p o s i t i o n s 3 and 4. With t h e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s as t h e b a s i s f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e s t a t i s t i c a l h y p o th e s e s , Tables 13-16 and r e l a t e d i n fo r m a ti o n i n d i c a t e th e r e s u l t s f o r each p r o p o s i t i o n . P r o p o s i t i o n 1 : Male d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in g a i n i n g employment than fem ales. 134 Table 11 . —C o r r e l a t i o n between importance t h a t should have been plac ed on c e r t a i n c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s and t h a t which was p la c e d . C o l l e g e - S e r v ic e Goal Statements Coeffi­ cient Cases S ignifi­ cance 1. P r i o r t o e n r o l l m e n t , s t u d e n t s w i l l be informed o f t h e programs o f study a v a i l a b l e a t t h e C o ll e g e . .3020 98 .001 2. P r i o r t o th e beginning o f c l a s s e s , s t u d e n t s w i l l be informed o f s e r v i c e s a v a i l a b l e a t t h e College ( i . e . , c o u n s e l i n g , t u t o r i n g , developmental s k ills , library, e tc .). .3025 98 .001 3. P r i o r t o beginning c l a s s e s , s t u d e n t s w i l l r e c e i v e t e s t i n g t o determine t h e l e v e l o f t h e i r math and reading sk ills. .1450 97 .078 4. As a p a r t o f th e e n r o l lm e n t p r o c e s s , s t u d e n t s w i l l be a s s i s t e d as th ey s e l e c t t h e i r s p e c ific courses. .4894 98 .001 5. During t h e time a s t u d e n t spends a t a c o l l e g e , t h e s t u d e n t w i l l be t r e a t e d w ith r e s p e c t by f a c u l t y and s t a f f . .5262 98 .001 6. The c o l l e g e w i l l make a s p e c i a l e f f o r t t o make persons r e t u r n i n g t o school a f t e r an extended absence f e e l welcome. .5331 99 .001 7. I f p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g i n d i c a t e s a s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t i n math s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e in math s k i l l development. .4565 99 .001 8. I f p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g i n d i c a t e s a s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t i n r e a d i n g s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e i n r e a d in g s k i l l develop ­ ment. .4435 96 .001 9. I n d i v i d u a l t u t o r i n g s e r v i c e s w i l l be a v a ila b le f o r students experiencing d i f f i c u l t i e s i n one or more c o u r s e s . .3429 99 .001 10. As s t u d e n t s n e a r completion o f t h e i r programs o f s t u d y , t h e College w i l l p r o v id e j o b placement a s s i s t ­ ance f o r t h o s e who a r e s eeking employment. .1548 96 .066 135 Table 1 2 .- - C r o s s - t a b u l a t i o n between Importance t h a t was p lac ed and Importance t h a t should have been p lac ed on C o lle g e -S e rv ic e Goals 3 and 10. Importance T hat Was Placed Import. That Should Have Been Placed No Importance Not Very Im portant Average Importance Very Im portant Highest Importance No Knowledge Row Total Importance Rating f o r S e r v ic e Goal 3 Count Row Pet Col. Pet T ot. Pet 2 40.0 9.1 2.1 1 20.0 8.3 1.0 0 0 0 Q 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 40.0 10.1 2,1 5 5.2 0 0 0 0 1 25.0 8.3 1.0 1 25.0 7.7 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 25.0 4 .8 1.0 1 25.0 5.6 1.0 4 4.1 Average Importance 4 22.2 IB .2 4.1 2 11.1 16.7 2.1 6 33.3 46.2 6.2 1 5.6 9.1 1.0 1 5 .6 4.8 1 .0 4 22.2 22.2 4.1 18 18.6 Very Im portant 4 21.1 IB .2 4.1 4 21.1 33.3 4.1 2 10.5 15.4 2.1 6 31.6 54.5 6.2 2 10.5 9.5 2.1 1 5.3 5.6 1.0 19 19.6 Highest Importance 12 27.3 54.5 12.4 4 9.1 33.3 4.1 4 9.1 30.B 4.1 3 6 .6 27.3 3.1 15 34.1 71.4 15.5 6 13.6 33.3 6 .2 44 45.4 0 0 0 0 O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14.3 9.1 1.0 2 28.6 9.5 2.1 4 57.1 22.2 4.1 7 7.2 22 22.7 12 12.4 13 13.4 11 11.3 21 21.6 IB 18.6 97 100.0 No Importance Not Very Important No Knowledge Kissin g obs. ■ G Column Total Importance Rating f o r S e rv ic e Goal 10 No Importance 3 33.3 20.0 3.1 1 11.1 8 .3 1 .0 2 22.2 9.1 2.1 0 0 0 0 1 11.1 8.3 1.0 2 22.2 7.7 2.1 9 9 .4 Not Very Im portant 2 14.3 13.3 2.1 0 0 0 0 8 57.1 36.4 8.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 D 0 4 28.6 15.4 4.2 14 14.6 Average Importance 1 '6 .3 6.7 1.0 1 6 .3 8.3 1 .0 4 25.0 IB .2 4.2 4 25.0 44.4 4 .2 1 6.3 8.3 1.0 5 31.3 19.2 5 .2 16 16.7 Very Im portant 9 18.0 60.0 9.4 10 20.0 83.3 10.4 8 16.0 36.4 8.3 5 10.D 55.6 5.2 10 20.0 83.3 10.4 8 16,0 30. B 8.3 50 52.1 No Knowledge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 100.0 26.9 7 .3 7 7 .3 15 15.6 12 12.5 22 22.9 9 9.4 12 12.5 26 27.1 96 100.0 Hissin g obs. ■ 7 Column Total 136 Table 1 3 .— Chi-square te s t re s u lts : sex by employment sta tu s . Employment S t a t u s Sex Count Male naie Row P ct Col. Pct T o t. P ct Female Column Total Row Total Employed Not Employed 21 77.8 36.2 20.6 6 22.2 13.6 5.9 27 26.5 37 49.3 63 .8 36.3 38 50.7 86.4 37.3 75 73.5 58 56.9 44 43.1 102 100.0 df = 1 C r i t i c a l c h i - s q u a r e = 3.84146 a = .05 ( o n e - t a i l e d ) c h i - s q u a r e = 6.54846 P r o p o s i t i o n 2: D isplac ed workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l i n g a in in g employment than t h o s e who s t a r t late. Table 1 4 . —C h i- sq u ar e t e s t r e s u l t s : s t a r t i n g d a t e by employment s t a t u s . Employment S t a t u s S t a r t i n g Date Count E a rly (1979) P& Tot. P ct Late (1981) Column Total Row Total Employed Not Employed 3 6 0.0 30.0 15.0 2 40.0 20.0 10.0 5 25.0 7 46.7 70.0 35.0 8 53.3 80.0 40.0 15 75.0 10 50.0 10 50. Q 20 100.0 137 For P r o p o s i t i o n 2, t h e r e were i n s u f f i c i e n t numbers i n t h e " e a r l y " c e l l s t o compute s i g n i f i c a n c e in a s t a t i s t i c a l manner. P r o p o s i t i o n 3 : Younger d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s ­ f ul in g aining employment than th o s e who a r e o l d e r . Table 1 5 . —t - t e s t r e s u l t s : age by employment s t a t u s . Employment Status Number o f Cases Mean Age S.D. Employed 57 36.3509 8.647 Not employed 44 40.9091 9.060 df = 99 C r i t i c a l t = -1 .6 5 8 a = .05 ( o n e - t a i l e d ) t = - 2 .5 7 tValue df 1-tail Prob. -2 .5 7 99 .006 Ho VE H-j P E < pU * H is rejected. P r o p o s i t i o n 4 : Displaced workers who a t t a i n h ig h e r communityc o l 1ege g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in g a in in g employment than th o s e who a t t a i n lower g r a d e s . Table 1 6 . — t - t e s t r e s u l t s : g r a d e - p o i n t average by employment s t a t u s . Employment Status Number o f Cases Mean Age S.D. Employed 56 2.9964 ,799 Unemployed 44 2.8564 .715 d f ** 98 C r i t i c a l t = 1.658 a = .05 ( o n e - t a i l e d ) t ^ .91 tValue df 1-tail Prob. .91 98 .1875 H p E < ]iU H. > Ptf Hq i s n o t r e j e c t e d . 138 The f o llo w i n g c o n c l u s io n s were reached concerning t h e f o u r propositions: A naly s is .05 l e v e l o f significance 1. Sex by employment s t a t u s chi-square confirmed .0105 2. S t a r t i n g d a t e by employment s t a t u s chi-square inconclusive 3. Age by employment s t a t u s t-test confirmed .006 4. GPA by employment s t a t u s t-test not s ig n i f i c a n t .1875 Proposition Males were, in f a c t , more s u c c e s s f u l in g a in in g employment than were fe m ales. Because o f t h e low number o f p a r t i c i p a n t s who s t a r t e d e a r l y ( f a l l 1979), i t was n o t r e a s o n a b le t o compute a l e v e l o f s t a t i s t i c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e f o r P r o p o s i t i o n 2. Those who were s u c ­ c e s s f u l i n g a in in g employment were s i g n i f i c a n t l y younger than those who were n o t s u c c e s s f u l . In a d d i t i o n , although th o s e who were s u c ­ c e s s f u l i n g a in in g employment had h i g h e r community-college gr a d e poi n t averages than th o s e who were not s u c c e s s f u l , t h e d i f f e r e n c e between t h e groups was n o t s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t . S t a t i s t i c a l Anal ysis o f t h e Eight Related Question's To t e s t t h e e i g h t q u e s ti o n s posed by t h e r e s e a r c h e r , i t was ag ain ne ces sary t o use two d i f f e r e n t s t a t i s t i c a l pr oc ed ure s because o f t h e typ es o f d a t a c o l l e c t e d . Questions 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , and 6 were t e s t e d by means o f t - t e s t s because in each i n s t a n c e both c a t e g o r i c a l and continu ous d a ta were c o l l e c t e d . Questions 3 , 7 , and 8 were t e s t e d by means o f Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n s because i n each i n s t a n c e only c on tinuou s d a t a were c o l l e c t e d . On th e f o ll o w i n g p ages , each q u e s t i o n 139 i s r e s t a t e d , followed by t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e s t a t i s t i c a l procedure used t o t e s t t h e d a ta f o r t h a t q u e s t i o n . Question 1 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t averages o f male and female d i s ­ p la ced workers? Table 1 7 . —t - t e s t r e s u l t s : g r a d e - p o i n t average by s e x . Sex Number o f Cases Mean GPA S.D. Males 26 3.0204 1.065 Females 75 2.9029 .626 df = 99 C r i t i c a l t = 1.980 a = .05 ( t w o - t a i l e d ) t = .68 H1 tVal ue df 2-tail Prob. .68 99 .499 * "F Hq i s n o t r e j e c t e d . Question 2 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e community-coliege g r a d e - p o i n t av erages o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and t h o s e who s t a r t l a t e ? Table 1 8 . —t - t e s t r e s u l t s : g r a d e - p o i n t av erage by s t a r t i n g d a t e . S t a r t i n g Date Ea rly (1979) Late (1981) Number o f Cases Mean GPA S.D. 5 2.6720 1.238 13 2.9531 .990 d f = 16 C r i t i c a l t = 2.120 a = .05 ( t w o - t a i l e d ) t = - .51 H tValue df 2 -tail Prob. -.51 16 .620 yE = y. H, y F f y t 1 Hq i s not r e j e c t e d . 140 Question 3 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between th e community-col leg e g r a d e - p o i n t averages and t h e age o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? Table 1 9 . —Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n r e s u l t s : g r a d e - p o i n t av er ag e by age. Grade-Point Average Coefficient Age -.0497 Cases 100 Significance a = .05 p = .312 .312 No s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p . Question 4 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f male and female d i s p l a c e d workers? Table 2 0 . — t - t e s t r e s u l t s : p e r c e p t i o n s by s ex. Sex Number o f Cases Males 27 Females 76 d f = 101 C r i t i c a l t = 1.980 a = .05 ( t w o - t a i l e d ) t = .51 Mean Percent S.D. 2.2140 1.048 2.1270 .622 tValue df 2 -tail Prob. .61 101 .608 H PH = y F 0 n r H, yMf y F i n r Hq is not rejec ted . 141 Question 5 ; Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and th o s e who s t a r t l a t e ? Table 2 1 . - - t - t e s t r e s u l t s : p e r c e p t i o n s by s t a r t i n g d a t e . S t a r t i n g Date Number o f Cases Mean Percent S.D. Earl y (1979) 5 2.6050 1.343 Late (1981) 15 2.0793 .715 d f = 18 C r i t i c a l t = 2.101 a = .05 ( t w o - t a i l e d ) t = 1.14 tValue df 2 -tail Prob. 1.14 18 .270 H y P = y. o t l H, y P ? y, i t L HQ i s n o t r e j e c t e d . Question 6 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between the p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who gain employment and t h o s e who do not? Table 2 2 . — t - t e s t r e s u l t s : p e r c e p t i o n s by employment s t a t u s . Employment Status Number o f Cases Mean Percent S.D. Employed 58 2.1731 .833 Unemployed 44 2.1407 .634 tValue .21 d f = 100 C r i t i c a l t = 1.980 ot — .05 t * .21 df 2-tail Prob. 100 .830 H y F = y.i o t u Hi y P $ Pi | l t u Hq is not rejected . 142 Question 7 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and the age o f th e d i s p l a c e d workers? Table 2 3 . —Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n r e s u l t s : p e r c e p t i o n s by age. P e r c e p ti o n Coefficient Age Cases Significance -.1474 102 .070 No s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p . Question 8 : Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and th e co mnu nity -c ollege g r a d e p o i n t av er ag e o f th e d i s p l a c e d workers? Table 2 4 . — Pearson c o r r e l a t i o n r e s u l t s : p e r c e p t i o n s a verage. by g r a d e - p o i n t P e r c e p tio n Coefficient GPA Cases Significance a = .05 p = .009 -.2 343 101 .009 There i s a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p . 143 Based on t h e s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s e s , t h e f o ll o w in g c o nclu s io ns were reached concerning t h e e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s t i o n s : Questions .05 level o f significance Anal ysis 1. GPA by sex t-test no t s i g n i f i c a n t .499 2. GPA by s t a r t i n g d ate t-test not s i g n i f i c a n t .620 Pearson c o r r . not s ig n i f i c a n t .312 3. GPA by age 4. P e r c e p t i o n s by sex t-test no t s i g n i f i c a n t .608 5. P e r c e p t i o n s by s t a r t i n g d a t e t-test no t s i g n i f i c a n t .270 6. P e r c e p t i o n s by emp. s t a t u s t-test not s ig n i f i c a n t .830 7. P e r c e p t i o n s by age Pearson c o r r . not s i g n i f i c a n t .070 8. P e r c e p t i o n s by GPA Pearson c o r r . significant .009 There were no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s between th e conmunityc o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t averages o f males and females o r those who s t a r t e d t r a i n i n g e a r l y and t h o s e who s t a r t e d l a t e . There was no s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between age and community-college g r a d e - p o i n t a v e r a g e . There were no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f males and f e m a l e s , t h o s e who s t a r t e d t r a i n i n g e a r l y and th o s e who s t a r t e d l a t e , o r th o s e who found employment and th o s e who did n o t . There was n o t a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between age and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t a t th e .05 l e v e l . However, t h e r e was such a r e l a t i o n s h i p a t t h e .07 l e v e l , i n d i c a t i n g t h a t o l d e r s t u d e n t s tended t o p e r c e i v e t h e program as being more b e n e f i c i a l than did th e younger p a r t i c i p a n t s . F i n a l l y , t h e r e was a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p 144 between c o i m u n i t y - c o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . P a r t i c i p a n t s who a t t a i n e d h ig h e r community-college g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es p e r c e iv e d th e program as being more b e n e f i c i a l than d i d t h o s e who a t t a i n e d lower av er ag es. The r e s u l t s o f t h e a n a l y s i s o f Questions 4 , 6 , and 7 seemed t o s u g g e s t t h a t p a r t i c i p a n t s ' p e r c e p t i o n s o f t h e program b e n e f i t were n o t c l o s e l y t i e d t o employment. Question 6 , employment s t a t u s , d e a l t with t h e t o p i c d i r e c t l y , whereas Questions 4 and 7, sex and ag e, d e a l t with t h e t o p i c i n d i r e c t l y ; i . e . , both were s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e l a t e d t o employment s t a t u s . I n t e r e s t i n g l y , t h e r e s u l t s from t h e a n a l y s i s o f Question 7 showed t h a t o l d e r s t u d e n t s , t h o s e who were l e s s s u c c e s s f u l i n g a in in g employment, p er ceiv ed t h e program as being much more b e n e f i c i a l th an did th e younger r e sp o n d e n t s . Summary Chapter IV c o n ta in e d the f i n d i n g s and t h e d ata a n a l y s i s o f t h i s s tu d y . In t h e r e s u l t s p o r t i o n , t h e goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f th e program process were d e s c r i b e d from t h e view po in t o f each o f t h e t h r e e groups (ME5C, t h e community c o l l e g e , and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) . P a r t i c i p a n t outcomes, i n c l u d i n g e d u c a t i o n a l ac hievem ents, r e a c t i o n s t o c o l l e g e s e r v i c e s , c u r r e n t employment s t a t u s , and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t , were p r e s e n t e d . In t h e a n a l y s i s p o r t i o n o f t h e c h a p t e r , goa ls and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f each o f t h e t h r e e groups were re view ed, t a k i n g s p e c i a l n o t i c e o f th o s e t h a t were h e ld in common among t h e groups and t h o s e t h a t had potential for c o n flic t. The program proc es s (what happened and how 145 i t happened) was d e s c r i b e d from an o b s e r v a t i o n a l v i e w p o i n t , t a k i n g i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s a t t h e s t a t e and n a t i o n a l l e v e l s and t h e ever -w or sen ing c o n d i t i o n o f t h e a r e a and re g io n a l employment markets from June 1979 through t h e beg inning o f 1982. R e s u l ts were given from t h e s t a t i s t i c a l t e s t i n g o f t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between th e importance t h a t should have been plac ed on t e n c o l l e g e s e r v i c e goals and th e importance t h a t was a c t u a l l y p laced on them. F i n a l l y , th e i n v e s t i g a t o r p r e s e n t e d t h e r e s u l t s from th e s t a t i s t i c a l t e s t i n g o f th e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s and e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s ti o n s co ncerning employ­ ment s t a t u s , e d u c a t i o n a l achievement, and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program benefit. CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary In t h i s s tu d y t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r d e s c r ib e d th e TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g a t Montcalm Community College f o ll o w in g th e Lyons/Muir C h r y s le r P l a n t c l o s i n g i n J u l y 1979. The s e t t i n g f o r th e study was p r e s e n t e d through d e s c r i p t i o n s o f t h e geographic a r e a , t h e C h r y s le r C o rporatio n P l a n t i n Lyons, t h e s e r v i c e ag encies t h a t provided a s s i s t a n c e , and th e Trade Adjustment A s s i s ta n c e p o r t i o n o f th e Trade Act o f 1974. The d a t a base f o r d e s c r i b i n g t h e s e t t i n g o f th e study was b u i l t on informal d i s c u s s i o n s with former C h r y s le r employees and c i t i z e n s from t h e Lyons a r e a , exam ination o f agency documents, and review o f news a r t i c l e s w r i t t e n between June 1979 and December 1981. A review o f t h e l i t e r a t u r e on p l a n t c l o s i n g s , d i s p l a c e d w or k ers , and community-college res pon se t o p l a n t c l o s i n g s d i s c l o s e d 13 s p e c i f i c works r e l a t e d t o t h e s tu d y . The in f o r m a tio n g a th e r e d from t h e s e s t u d i e s p a i n t e d a r a t h e r b le ak p i c t u r e f o r d i s p l a c e d workers i n general and p o i n t e d t o a p a r t i c u l a r l y d i f f i c u l t s i t u a t i o n f o r females a n d / o r o l d e r workers. The l i t e r a t u r e s uggested t h a t t r a i n i n g i s n o t a p a r t i c u l a r l y p o s i t i v e o p t io n f o r d i s p l a c e d workers . The w r i t i n g s on community-college response d e s c r i b e d s e r v i c e s provided by t h r e e 146 147 d i f f e r e n t i n s t i t u t i o n s b u t p r e s e n t e d very l i t t l e in f o r m a tio n about how t h e s e r v i c e s were pro vide d o r what t h e outcomes were. Through person al i n t e r v i e w s with f o u r s t a f f members from MESC, f o u r s t a f f members from Montcalm Community C o l l e g e , and 15 people who had p a r t i c i p a t e d i n th e TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g ; a f i l e s e a rc h o f s t u d e n t r e c o r d s ; and a follow-up survey o f t h e 150 d i s p l a c e d workers who a t t e n d e d Montcalm Community C o lle g e , th e i n v e s t i g a t o r c o l l e c t e d d a t a t o answer t h e f o ll o w in g t h r e e q u e s t i o n s : 1. What were t h e goals and e x p e c t a t i o n s ? 2. What happened and how d i d i t happen? 3. What were t h e outcomes? a. b. c. d. e d u c a t i o n a l achievement reactions to college services employment s t a t u s p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t In fo r m ati o n was c o l l e c t e d from a v a r i e t y o f so u rc e s so t h a t the in v e stig a to r pened could d e s c r i b e go als and e x p e c t a t i o n s and what hap­ and how i t happened from t h r e e p o i n t s o f view(MESC, t h e commu­ n i t y c o l l e g e , and th e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) . The c o l l e c t e d d a t a were used f o r d e s c r i p t i v e purposes and to t e s t t h e f o ll o w i n g f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s and e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s t i o n s . Propositions 1. Male d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l i n g a in in g employment th an fe m ales. 2. D is plac ed workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in g a in in g employment than th o s e who s ta r t late. 3. Younger d i s p l a c e d workers w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l in ga in in g employment than t h o s e who a r e o l d e r . 148 4. Displac ed workers who a t t a i n h i g h e r conmunity c o l l e g e grade p o i n t averages w i l l be more s u c c e s s f u l i n gai ni ng employment than t h o s e who a t t a i n lower gr a d e s. Questions 1. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es o f male and female d i s p l a c e d workers? 2. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag es o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and t h o s e who s t a r t late? 3. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between th e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t averages and th e age o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? 4. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between th e p e r ­ c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f male and female d i s p l a c e d workers? 5. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r ­ c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f th e d i s p l a c e d workers who s t a r t t h e i r t r a i n i n g e a r l y and th o s e who s t a r t l a t e ? 6. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p e r ­ c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers who gain employment and th o s e who do not? 7. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and t h e age o f t h e d i s ­ plac ed workers? 8. Will t h e r e be a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between th e p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and t h e community-college g r a d e - p o i n t av er ag e o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers? The go als and e x p e c t a t i o n s o f t h e t h r e e groups d i f f e r e d some­ what b u t did n o t a p p ear t o be i n d i r e c t c o n f l i c t with each o t h e r . The two s e r v i c e ag encies in ten d ed t o provid e t h e f o llo w i n g s e r v i c e s : MESC in te n d ed t o 1. Find j o b s and p l a c e workers in them 2. Provide s u p p o r t i v e s e r v i c e s f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers 149 Montcalm Community College in te n d e d to 1. Provide j o b - r e l a t e d s k i l l t r a i n i n g 2. A s s i s t d i s p l a c e d workers i n f i n d i n g new jobs 3. Encourage s e lf - d e v e lo p m e n t The t h r e e groups had t h e f o ll o w in g e x p e c t a t i o n s f o r r e s u l t s , l i s t e d in o r d e r o f p r i o r i t y : MESC expected 1. Employment f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers 2. Funding allowances t h a t would s o f t e n t h e f i n a n c i a l blow t o th e i n d i v i d u a l s and t h e community Montcalm Community College ex pected 1. Improved j o b s k i l l s f o r t h e d i s p l a c e d workers 2. I n c re a s e d e n r o llm e n ts f o r th e community c o l l e g e 3. Improved s e l f - i m a g e s and i n c r e a s e d knowledge and m o b i l i t y f o r th e d i s p l a c e d workers P a r t i c i p a n t s expected 1. Improved j o b s k i l l s 2. Extended funding allowances 3. Employment 4. General knowledge As i n d i c a t e d i n t h e a n a l y s i s s e c t i o n o f Chapter IV, each p a r ­ t i c i p a n t e x p e c t a t i o n was matched by an e x p e c t a t i o n o f one o f th e a g e n c i e s ; improved jo b s k i l l s and gener al knowledge were matched by corrniunity-college e x p e c t a t i o n s , and extended funding allowances and employment were matched by MESC e x p e c t a t i o n s . The only two ex pected r e s u l t s t h a t appeared t o have p o t e n t i a l f o r program c o n f l i c t were th e 150 community-college i n t e r e s t i n i n c r e a s e d e n r o llm e n ts and t h e p a r t i c i ­ pa nt i n t e r e s t in extended funding al lo w ances . To th e e x t e n t t h a t th e community c o l l e g e became e x c l u s i v e l y i n t e r e s t e d in e n r o llm e n ts o r th e p a r t i c i p a n t s became e x c l u s i v e l y i n t e r e s t e d i n th e funding a llo w ­ a n c e s , t h e program would have s u f f e r e d . The d e s c r i p t i o n s o f program pro cess p r e s e n t a p i c t u r e o f two ag en ci es and 150 d i s p l a c e d workers j o i n i n g f o r c e s t o overcome th e problems c r e a t e d by t h e Lyons C h r y s l e r P l a n t ' s c l o s i n g . For both th e p a r t i c i p a n t s and t h e agency s t a f f members, l i f e was very h e c t i c and demanding. The agency personnel were d e a l i n g with g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d numbers o f p e o p le , and t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were a tt e m p ti n g t o compete s u c c e s s f u l l y in what had been, f o r them, a s t r a n g e and sudden ch ange-a college s e tt i n g . In s p i t e o f t h e h u r r i e d pace and t h e problems i n h e r e n t in th e proce ss o f combining government r e g u l a t i o n s and edu­ c a t i o n a l p r o c e d u r e s , th e proce ss seemed t o work w e l l . All t h r e e groups spoke very p o s i t i v e l y o f each o t h e r and t o l d how they had ac hieve d r e s u l t s through j o i n t e f f o r t s . Perhaps t h e g r e a t e s t o b s t a c l e t h a t th e t h r e e groups f aced was th e condensed time span w i t h i n which they worked. P a r t i c i p a n t s had 78 weeks, a t most, to complete t r a i n i n g programs, many o f which normally t a k e two y e a r s . In g e n e r a l , t h e e x - C h r y s l e r workers t u r n e d o u t to be compe­ te n t students. They com pleted, on an a v e r a g e , j u s t o v e r 30 s em e ste r c r e d i t hours wh ile m a i n t a in in g a B- (2 .8 3 grade p o i n t ) av er ag e. The f a c t t h a t th ey had been away from school f o r a number o f y e a r s d i d not seem t o hamper t h e i r a b i l i t y t o succeed i n th e c o l l e g e s e t t i n g . They were q u i t e s a t i s f i e d with most o f t h e s e r v i c e s provided by t h e c o l l e g e . 151 However, th ey were n o t s a t i s f i e d with t h e p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g o r jo b -p la c em en t s e r v i c e s . Almost 57 p e r c e n t o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers found employment f ollow in g t h e i r t r a i n i n g a t Montcalm Community C o ll e g e , b u t a t r a t e s o f pay much lower than what they had r e c e i v e d a t C h r y s l e r and u s u a l l y in work not r e l a t e d t o t h e i r community-college t r a i n i n g . Most o f th o s e who were employed, however, d id i n d i c a t e t h a t they were as s a t i s f i e d , o r more s a t i s f i e d , with t h e i r jo b s as t h e y had been with t h e work a t Chrysler. The m a j o r i t y o f t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s p e r c e i v e d th e program as having been b e n e f i c i a l ; they responded p o s i t i v e l y t o 14 s ta t e m e n t s conc er ning p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t and c i r c l e d a s ta t e m e n t i n th e fo llow -up survey i n d i c a t i n g t h a t , o v e r a l l , t h e program was bene­ ficial (77 o f 92 resp ondents c i r c l e d was r a t h e r th an was n o t ) . Once a g a i n , though, the p a r t i c i p a n t s i n d i c a t e d a s h o r t c o m i n g - - t h a t t h e i r t r a i n i n g did not p r e p a re them f o r d i r e c t j o b e n t r y . Analyses o f t h e f o u r p r o p o s i t i o n s confirmed f i n d i n g s from pr ev ious s t u d i e s . The l i t e r a t u r e s u g g ested t h a t males and younger d i s p l a c e d workers would be s i g n i f i c a n t l y more s u c c e s s f u l than females and o l d e r workers i n g a in i n g new employment, and th e y were. The r e s u l t s d id n o t conf irm t h a t su c c e ss in f i n d i n g jobs i s r e l a t e d e i t h e r t o c o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t average o r t o how soon a person begins t r a i n i n g f o llo w in g a p l a n t c l o s i n g . R e s u lt s from a n a ly s e s o f t h e e i g h t r e l a t e d q u e s t i o n s did not show a g e, s e x , o r when a person begins t r a i n i n g following a p l a n t c l o s i n g t o be s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e l a t e d t o c o l l e g e g r a d e - p o i n t aver ag e. 152 Nor did t h e r e s u l t s show a g e , s e x , when a person began t r a i n i n g f o ll o w ­ ing a p l a n t c l o s i n g , o r whether th ey had been s u c c e s s f u l i n g a i n i n g employment as being r e l a t e d t o t h e i r p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . The r e s u l t s did show a p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n between g r a d e - p o i n t av erage and p e r c e p t i o n s o f program b e n e f i t . Some General O bser vations From th e survey and i n t e r v i e w r e s p o n s e s , one can s e e t h a t many o f th e p a r t i c i p a n t s did n o t f i n d employment, t h a t th o s e who did f i n d new employment were n o t paid as well as th e y had been a t t h e i r p r ev io u s j o b s , t h a t t h e r e was room f o r improvement i n t h e s e r v i c e s p r o v id e d , and t h a t program tim in g was r u s h e d . p e r c e iv e d th e program as being b e n e f i c i a l . Yet th e p a r t i c i p a n t s The mean s c o r e o f t h e p e r c e p t i o n - o f - p r o g r a m - b e n e f i t s c a l e was 2.15 (where 1 = most p o s i t i v e and 5 = most n e g a t i v e ) . The s t a f f members from t h e two s e r v i c e agen­ c i e s most d i r e c t l y in v o l v e d , MESC and Montcalm Community C o lle g e , responded s i m i l a r l y . A review o f outcomes as th ey r e l a t e d t o expe cted r e s u l t s helped e x p l a i n why t h e t h r e e groups po s ses sed such p o s i t i v e f e e l i n g s ab ou t t h e program. MESC hoped t h a t t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s would f i n d employment and t h a t th ey would r e c e i v e s u p p o r t s e r v i c e s . The o v e r a l l economy and j o b market were so bad t h a t MESC personnel found i t v i r ­ t u a l l y im p o ss i b le t o measure b e n e f i t by placement s t a t i s t i c s . T h e ir second e x p e c t a t i o n , t h a t o f s u p p o r t s e r v i c e s , was f u l f i l l e d ; w ith t h e i r a s s i s t a n c e , r e q u e s t s were made, paperwork was p r o c e s s e d , and r e q u i r e d documentation was provided so t h a t t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were 153 a b l e t o t r a i n and r e c e i v e allowances f o r a maximum p eriod o f tim e . The allowances were d i r e c t l y s u p p o r t i v e o f many i n d i v i d u a l s and i n d i r e c t l y were a p o s i t i v e a d d i t i o n t o t h e lo c a l economy. Therefore, MESC s t a f f were p le a s e d w ith t h e s e r v i c e s they provided and were a c c e p t i n g o f th e outcome. Montcalm Community C olleg e s t a f f members expe cted improvement in th e j o b s k i l l s o f th e p a r t i c i p a n t s , expected t h e i r own e n r o llm e n ts t o i n c r e a s e , and ex pected improved s e l f - i m a g e s , ge ner al knowledge, and m o b i l i t y f o r t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . c e s s f u l in l e a r n i n g new jo b s k i l l s . The d i s p l a c e d workers were s u c ­ The community-college e n rollm ents did i n c r e a s e from f a l l s e m e s te r 1979 through s p r i n g 1981. Feedback from t hose workers who a t t e n d e d t h e community c o l l e g e i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e i r s e l f - i m a g e s and ge neral knowledge were enhanced (no d a t a were c o l l e c t e d t o measure m o b i l i t y as s u c h ) . T h e r e f o r e , community-college s t a f f f e l t t h e program had been p o s i t i v e and h e l p f u l . The p a r t i c i p a n t s themselves hoped f o r improved job s k i l l s , extended funding a ll o w a n c e s , employment, and ge ner al knowledge. They d i d , i n f a c t , s u c c e s s f u l l y complete many community-college c r e d i t hours o f i n s t r u c t i o n in j o b - r e l a t e d coursework. T h e ir funding a l l o w ­ ances were extended and pai d f o r t h e f u l l 78-week p e r i o d . n o t a l l were a b l e t o f i n d new employment. Some but They were p l e a s a n t l y s u r ­ p r i s e d a t t h e i r a b i l i t y t o p a r t i c i p a t e and succeed i n t h e c o l l e g e s e t t i n g , which gave them an emotional l i f t as well as a f e e l i n g o f being more informed and b e t t e r pr ep are d as s o c i e t a l members. The p a r t i c i p a n t s , t h e r e f o r e , a l s o p e r c e iv e d t h e program as being b e n e f i c i a l 154 because th e y were a b l e t o ach ie ve t h e i r primary e x p e c t a t i o n s and to b o l s t e r t h e i r p r i d e in th e p r o c e s s . When c o n s i d e r i n g outcomes from t h i s and many o t h e r such programs, t h e r e w i l l always be t h e d e s i r e t o use employment as a measurement d e v i c e . C e r t a i n l y , i t i s one f a c t o r t o c o n s i d e r . Through the i n t e r v i e w p r o c e s s , however, t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r was made well aware o f t h e f a c t t h a t employment does not always mean s a l v a t i o n . The unemployed in t e r v i e w e e s were, in most c a s e s , uneasy and d e s i r o u s o f work. However, th ey were n o t always t h e people in t h e w o r st c o n d i­ tion. Perhaps th e most downcast were t h o s e who were f o rc e d t o work on t h e bottom rung o f a u n iquely dep res sed economy. T h e ir time and energy r e g u l a r l y s p e n t , th e y appeared unable t o s ee ways t o improve t h e i r condition. In some i n s t a n c e s , they were no l o n g e r a c t i v e l y trying to b e tte r t h e i r s itu a tio n s . In h e r work d e a l i n g with s t r e s s and t h e b l u e - c o l l a r woman, Warren (1980) p o in t e d t o unique problems o f unemployed women and i n d i c a t e d t h a t s t r e s s from unemployment i s much g r e a t e r f o r them than i t i s f o r males. That f i n d i n g may be t r u e , o r i t may be t r u e only in t h e urban s e t t i n g , in which such s t u d i e s have been co nducted, b u t from a l l outward appearances t h e males from t h e c l o s e d Lyons C h r y s le r P l a n t appeared t o be s u f f e r i n g much g r e a t e r d e v a s t a t i o n than th e fem al es . Whereas th e m a j o r i t y o f unemployed females r e p r e ­ s e n t e d second incomes, t h e m ales, having been th e primary o r s o l e income s o u r c e , c a r r i e d t h e a d d i t i o n a l burden o f l e t t i n g t h e i r f a m i l i e s down. 155 The a d d i t i o n o f 150 d i s p l a c e d workers had an i n f l u e n c e on Montcalm Community College i n s e v e r a l ways. F i r s t * d i s c u s s i o n with c o l l e g e f a c u l t y and s t a f f seemed t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e i r im pre ssi ons o f f a c t o r y - w o r k e r s - t u r n e d - s t u d e n t s had g r e a t l y changed. They had not ex pec ted t h e kind o f d e d i c a t i o n and i n t e l l e c t u a l p e r s i s t e n c e th e e x - C h r y s l e r workers d i s p l a y e d . They had ex pected t o f i n d some l e v e l s o f competence b u t did not ex pec t t h a t , as a group, th e d i s p l a c e d work­ e r s would be as p r o f i c i e n t as th ey t u r n e d o u t t o be. F a c u l ty members a t t r i b u t e d p a r t i c i p a n t s ' s uc ce ss to t h e i r pr ev io us work h a b i t s and t h e i r per so nal p r i d e . Unlike th o s e who had been s e l e c t i v e l y l a i d o f f o r f i r e d from t h e i r j o b s , t h e s e people c a r r i e d a g r e a t deal o f p r i d e i n t h e i r a b i l i t y t o produce. Second, a f t e r d e a l i n g with th e mid-y ea r e n t r y o f a l a r g e number o f s t u d e n t s in January 1980, th e c o l l e g e s t a f f decided t o improve o r i e n t a t i o n and t e s t i n g p r o cedure s . The improvements came too l a t e f o r most o f t h e TAA-sponsored s t u d e n t s , b u t they have remained in e f f e c t and have been h e l p f u l t o t h o s e who have e n t e r e d Montcalm Community College s i n c e 1980. F in a lly , the l a r g e e n r o llm e n t i n c r e a s e durin g th e second se m e ste r o f th e 1979-80 academic y e a r d id not prove t o be b e n e f i c i a l f o r Montcalm Commu­ n i t y C o lle g e . Like a l l o t h e r Michigan community c o l l e g e s , Montcalm i s funded on a formula t h a t normally re c o g n iz e s growth by s t a t e a i d incr ements t h e f ollo w ing y e a r . Because of t h e d r a s t i c down­ t u r n in M ich ig an's econoniy i n 1980, t h e s t a t e o f Michigan, unable to pay f o r t h e i n c r e a s e d e n r o l l m e n t , abandoned i t s normal funding f o r ­ mula f o r t h e 1980-81 academic y e a r . Montcalm Community College had in c u r r e d unusual expenses dur in g 1979-80, with t h e e x p e c t a t i o n o f 156 recompense t h e f ollow in g y e a r . I t never d i d a r r i v e . Although t h e c o l l e g e was s u c c e s s f u l in a ch iev in g i t s goal o f i n c r e a s e d e n r o l l ­ ments, i t d id not g a i n , but in f a c t s u f f e r e d f i n a n c i a l l y . A f i n a l o b s e r v a t i o n i s t h a t th e community c o l l e g e i s an a p p r o p r i a t e p l a c e f o r d i s p l a c e d workers t o be du rin g t h e i r p e r io d of trauma and change. The community c o l l e g e pr ov ides many o f th e s e r v i c e s needed t o s u p p o rt change during such a t i m e , i n c l u d i n g s k i l l t r a i n i n g , ge neral knowledge, c o u n s e l i n g , and immediate ac ces s t o o t h e r s who a r e changing, growing, and se ek ing new d i r e c t i o n s . If direct employment i s t h e only measure o f program s u c c e s s , some people w i l l be d i s a p p o i n t e d . But i f one c o n s id e r s t h e b r o a d e r environment needed t o s u s t a i n th o s e who a r e making m i d - l i f e c a r e e r changes, t h e community college is a p ractical vehicle. Recommendations With t h e r e s u l t s from th e s tu d y as background, s e v e r a l types o f recommendations a r e in o r d e r . Following a r e s u g g e s t i o n s f o r changes in o r new a c t i o n s concerning TAA g u i d e l i n e s , community-college involvement in t r a i n i n g f o ll o w in g p l a n t c l o s i n g s , and a d d i t i o n a l r e s e a r c h on p l a n t c l o s i n g s , d i s p l a c e d wo rker s, and corrmunity c o l l e g e s . Recommendations Concerning TAA G u id e li n e s Government o f f i c i a l s should 1. Make TAA g u i d e l i n e s and funding more c o n s i s t e n t 2. Schedule allowance payments ( a t a lower r a t e ) and t r a i n ­ ing over a lo nger p e r i o d o f time 157 3. Bridge t h e gap between TAA s u p p o r t and o t h e r forms o f student fin a n cial aid 4. Prov ide f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t / i n c e n t i v e f o r community-college involvement In a d d i t i o n t o th e normal s u g g e s t i o n s t h a t p a r t i c i p a n t s and agency s t a f f members made about b e t t e r in form ation and g r e a t e r e f f i ­ c i e n c y , they expres sed concern about th e i n o r d i n a t e number o f changes in g u i d e l i n e s from 1979 through 1981. The problem i nc lu ded changes in both t h e funding and in th e g u i d e l i n e s r e g u l a t i n g e x p e n d i t u r e s . Funding was supposedly stopped in April 1980 b u t was r e i n s t a t e d shortly th e re a fte r. by r e i n s t a t e m e n t . Funding was again c u t in October 1981, followed Most r e c e n t l y , i t was c u t in April 1982. Numerous small changes in t h e g u i d e l i n e s and t h e i r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n were made thr oughout t h e 1979-81 p e r i o d , with major s h i f t s o c c u r r in g in October 1981. For th e b e n e f i t o f th o s e implementing such programs as well as t h e r e c i p i e n t s o f s e r v i c e , g r e a t e r c o n s i s t e n c y in funding and gu ide­ l i n e s would be h e l p f u l . The t r a d e - r e a d j u s t m e n t - a l l o w a n c e payments and t r a i n i n g were condensed i n t o a 52- o r 78-week p e r i o d . In t h e words o f one i n t e r ­ viewee, "There was t o o much money and to o much t r a i n i n g f o r a w h i le , and then i t a l l s to p p e d . " The r e l a t i v e l y high r a t e of pay—$250/$289 p e r week—f o r th e e x - C h r y s l e r workers d id n o t encourage immediate change b u t r a t h e r provide d a cushion u n t i l " t h i n g s would g e t b e t t e r . " Nor d i d i t encourage moving o r t a k i n g o t h e r lower-paying employment. The allowance payments tended t o encourage hanging on r a t h e r than 158 change. The time l i m i t a t i o n placed on t r a i n i n g caused quick d e c i ­ s i o n s and a h u r r i e d l e a r n i n g e x p e r i e n c e . Scheduling allowance payments in s m a l l e r amounts over a l o n g e r p e r io d o f time and e x ten d in g t h e time a v a i l a b l e f o r t r a i n i n g would seem t o be a r e a s o n a b le way o f c o r r e c t i n g th e s i t u a t i o n . Sm aller payments over a lo n g e r p e r i o d o f time might encourage more people t o t a k e a c t i o n s o o n e r. Also, f o r th o s e who were unable t o f i n d new employment, needed s u p p o r t payments would l a s t l o n g e r . More time f o r t r a i n i n g would c r e a t e more o p p o r t u n i t y f o r e f f e c t i v e t r a i n i n g results. Arrangements sh ould be made t o b r id g e t h e gap between TAAsponsored t r a i n i n g and o t h e r forms o f s t u d e n t f i n a n c i a l a i d . Cur­ r e n t l y , when TAA funds c e a s e , th e r e c i p i e n t s a r e i n e l i g i b l e f o r o t h e r forms o f s t u d e n t f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e , such as P e l l G rants. The s y s ­ tem seems t o r e q u i r e a p e r i o d o f no funding and p o s s i b l y no t r a i n i n g b e f o r e t h e p o t e n t i a l r e c i p i e n t can show need and r e c e i v e t h e s u p p o rt needed t o co n ti n u e t r a i n i n g . That gap should be br id g e d . For thos e who have proven t h e i r a b i l i t y t o succeed in c o l l e g e and who have p a r ­ t i a l l y completed programs, t h e r e should be some c o ntinued f i n a n c i a l support. Montcalm Community College pai d a p r i c e f o r i t s involvement in t h e TAA-sponsored program. The a d d i t i o n a l s t a t e funding t h a t t h e c o l l e g e expec ted i n 1980-81 d i d n o t a r r i v e . Even i f t h e funding had come f o r t h , i t would have been money t o s u p p o r t normal communitycollege operation. R e t r a i n i n g l a r g e numbers o f d i s p l a c e d workers i s a u n iq u e ly demanding j o b , which c a l l s f o r s p e c i a l r e s o u r c e s . Recognizing 159 t h i s problem, th e s t a t e o f Michigan provided funding between April and October 1981 t o h e lp s u p p o r t p r e - e n r o l l m e n t c a r e e r couns eling and class-advisement se rv ic e s . legislation. Such funding should be i n clu d ed in TAA The community c o l l e g e i s a p r a c t i c a l p l a c e f o r r e t r a i n ­ ing programs. TAA funding should encourage community-col lege i n v o l v e ­ ment through funding t o s u p p o r t p r e - e n r o l l m e n t c a r e e r couns eling and c l a s s advisement. Recommendations Concerning Community-College T r a i n i n g Following P l a n t Closings Community-college l e a d e r s should 1. E s t a b l i s h channels o f communication with t h e a f f e c t e d workers as soon as p o s s i b l e 2. Acquire o r develop jo b -m ar k et n e ed s -as ses sm en t d a t a on l o c a l and r e g io n a l l e v e l s 3. Recognize t h a t th e community c o l l e g e i s one of many community-service ag encie s and work c l o s e l y with t h e o t h e r s 4. Emphasize p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g and c a r e e r co u n s elin g 5. P rovide s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s and a t t e n t i o n f o r females and o l d e r workers 6. I nc lude t h e d i s p l a c e d workers with o t h e r c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s and in s t u d e n t a c t i v i t i e s 7. Make jo b placement a h i g h - p r i o r i t y item E a rly warnings o f p l a n t c l o s i n g s a r e h e l p f u l . The l i t e r a t u r e on p l a n t c l o s i n g s n e a r l y always has su gges ted t h a t e a r l y warning should be given. O f t e n , however, i t i s n o t . When i t i s , t h e r e i s s t i l l a 160 tendency on t h e p a r t o f t h e workers t o deny t h e r e a l i t y o r a t l e a s t t o postpone a c t i o n on i t . Because t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n time i s u s u a l l y s h o r t , t h e r e t r a i n i n g e f f o r t i s a time-consuming t a s k , and p o t e n t i a l funding so u rc e s such as TAA a r e t i m e - r e s t r i c t e d , i t i s b e s t f o r community-college l e a d e r s t o e s t a b l i s h channels o f communication with t h e a f f e c t e d workers as soon as p o s s i b l e . During t h i s e a r l y p e r i o d , while th e a f f e c t e d workers a r e s t i l l employed, two im p o rtan t i s s u e s sho uld be a d d r e ss e d . F i r s t , t o o f f s e t t h e tendency toward den ial or postponement, a s e r i e s o f i n f o r m a ti o n a l l e c t u r e s sho uld be p r e s e n t e d . There i s s u f f i c i e n t in f o r m a tio n from pr ev io u s s t u d i e s t o i n d i c a t e some har sh f a c t s o f which t h e workers should be aware. Second, t h i s time could be used t o g a t h e r i n fo r m a ti o n about t h e p o t e n t i a l t r a i n e e s . Before making d e c i s i o n s about how c o l l e g e t r a i n i n g can f i t i n t o p e o p l e ' s l i v e s , i t i s b e s t t o determine what i s going on in t h e i r lives. I n c r e a s e d knowledge about t h e workers and t h e i r environment w i l l i n c r e a s e t h e p r o b a b i l i t y o f a p p r o p r i a t e s e r v i c e s as well as t h e most p r a c t i c a l t r a i n i n g o p t i o n s . Knowledge ab out th e workers should be complemented by knowl­ edge o f t h e l o c a l and r e g io n a l j o b market. I f a c o l l e g e does not po s s e s s o r ca nnot a c q u i r e such in f o r m a t io n from employment-service p e r s o n n e l , a needs asse ssm en t should be implemented. I t is of c r i t i ­ cal importance in t h e long run t h a t such knowledge be a v a i l a b l e and be used t o reduce t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f t r a i n i n g people f o r jobs t h a t do not e x is t. A key t o t h e accomplishments t h a t Montcalm Community College and i t s TAA-sponsored s t u d e n t s ex perienced from 1979 through 1981 was 161 t h e i r c l o s e c o o p e r a tio n with o t h e r s e r v i c e a g e n c i e s . The I o n ia o f f i c e o f th e MESC was a c e n t r a l p a r t o f t h i s s t u d y , but o t h e r s e r v i c e agen­ c i e s a l s o played major r o l e s in pr o v id in g help f o r t h e e x - C h r y s l e r wo rke rs . The I o n i a County Departments o f Social S e r v ic e and Mental Health were i n s t r u m e n t a l in developing t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Community S e r v ic e Co unci l, t h e primary v e h i c l e f o r i n t e r a g e n c y communication concerning th e Lyons C h r y s l e r P l a n t d i s p l a c e d - w o r k e r s e r v i c e s . Coop­ e r a t i o n w ith o t h e r community a g en cies should be an i n t e g r a l and con­ ti n u o u s p a r t o f any community-college o p e r a t i o n , but i t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y needed in respons e t o a p l a n t c l o s i n g . P r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g and c a r e e r co u n s elin g should be provided f o r t h o s e who show i n t e r e s t in r e t r a i n i n g . Th is s e r v i c e i s im p o rtan t t o a l l s t u d e n t s , b u t i t i s o f s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t f o ll o w in g p l a n t c l o s ­ ings because th e d i s p l a c e d workers normally have such a s h o r t per iod o f time in which t o make d e c i s i o n s and a high l e v e l o f a n x i e t y about m i d - l i f e c a r e e r change. Even in th o s e i n s t a n c e s i n which t e s t i n g adds very l i t t l e in terms o f a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n , i t t e n d s t o pro­ v id e t h e u n c e r t a i n new s t u d e n t with a f e e l i n g o f s e c u r i t y . The t e s t ­ ing should i n c l u d e assessment o f l e a r n i n g s k i l l s , j o b a p t i t u d e , and career in te re sts. Employment-service o f f i c e s u s u a l l y pro v id e some o f t h i s ty p e o f t e s t i n g . Community-college personnel do not n e c e s s a r i l y need t o pro v id e a l l o f t h e t e s t i n g th e m s e lv e s , but th ey do need t o en s u re t h a t i t happens, t h a t th e y have a c c e s s t o t h e r e s u l t s , and t h a t t h e y use them f o r p lann in g pu rp oses . P revious s t u d i e s have i n d i c a t e d t h a t females and o l d e r workers f a c e g r e a t e r problems in f i n d i n g new employment th an do males o r 162 younger workers. The p r e s e n t s tu d y su pport ed t h a t s t a t e m e n t . Community-college personnel should r eco g n ize and remember t h i s when d e a l i n g with d i s p l a c e d workers. Whenever and wherever p o s s i b l e , females and o l d e r workers should r e c e i v e s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n and s e r v i c e s . Responses from t hose who t r a i n e d a t Montcalm Community College i n d i c a t e d t h a t being with o t h e r s t u d e n t s and being in volved in s t u d e n t a c t i v i t i e s a r e im port an t p a r t s o f t h e l i f e - c a r e e r - c h a n g e p r o c e s s . Those who a r e involved in t r a i n i n g f o ll o w in g a p l a n t c l o s i n g should be i n c lu d e d as much as p o s s i b l e with o t h e r s t u d e n t s and in s t u d e n t a c t i v i ­ ties. Employment i s an im p o rtan t goal f o r most people who p a r t i c i ­ p ate in t r a i n i n g programs. Finding and a c q u i r i n g work i s a c h a l l e n g ­ ing t a s k , but p a r t i c u l a r l y so f o ll o w in g a p l a n t c l o s i n g . As with t h e p r e - e n r o l l m e n t t e s t i n g s e r v i c e , i t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y t h a t th e community c o l l e g e pr ovid e placement s e r v i c e s on i t s own. I t i s i m p o r t a n t , how­ e v e r , t h a t , in c o n ju n c ti o n with l o c a l employment-service p e r s o n n e l , t h e community c o l l e g e ens u re s t h a t placement becomes a h i g h - p r i o r i t y item. I f t h e l o c a l a n d / o r r e g io n a l jo b market i s poo r, as was t h e c as e in t h i s s t u d y , s p e c i a l e f f o r t s should be made t o deal w ith th e situation. On-th e- job t r a i n i n g might be s uggested because i t gives t r a i n e e s an edge in t h e jo b market. Or, i f t h e l o c a l and re g i o n a l jo b market i s bad enough, o u t - o f - a r e a placement c o n t a c t s and arrangements should be made. 163 Recommendations Concerning Futu re Research The c a s e - s t u d y approach i s o f te n r e f e r r e d t o as being p r e experimental. Although i t i s n o t l i m i t e d t o t h a t r o l e , t h e ca s e study can s e r v e t h a t purpose. Because o f i t s a b i l i t y t o develop a base o f un d e r sta n d in g about a p a r t i c u l a r i n s t a n c e , i t i s an i d e a l method f o r i n i t i a l examination o f a t o p i c . This methodology was chosen f o r s tu d y in g t h e TAA-sponsored community-college t r a i n i n g because o f i t s a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s f o r answering q u e s t i o n s about what r e a l l y happened. With t h i s i n fo r m a tio n as a b a s e , two p a r t i c u l a r ty p e s o f f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h would be a p p r o p r i a t e : 1. T r a d i t i o n a l experimental c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f community-college t r a i n i n g f o llo w in g p l a n t c l o s i n g s 2. An e th n o g r a p h i c s tu d y o f t h e d i s p l a c e d workers f o ll o w in g plant closings The t r a d i t i o n a l exper im ental approach should add ress such questions as: Are t h o s e who t r a i n in TAA-sponsored community-college programs l e s s s u c c e s s f u l , as s u c c e s s f u l , o r more s u c c e s s f u l in ga in i n g new employment than th o s e who choose o t h e r o p t i o n s f oll ow ing p l a n t closings? What a r e th e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f d i s p l a c e d workers who succeed in community-college r e t r a i n i n g programs f o ll o w in g p l a n t closings? During times o f economic c r i s i s , many p l a n t s c l o s e t h e i r doo rs. I t would seem p r a c t i c a l t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e l i v e s o f workers who e x p e r i ­ ence t h e c l o s i n g o f t h e i r p la c e s o f employment. Through eth n o g r a p h ic 164 i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e p l a n t - c l o s i n g e x p e r i e n c e , im p o rta n t knowledge could be added t o t h e body o f r e s e a r c h t h a t a lr e a d y e x i s t s on t h i s gen er al t o p i c . Chapter Summary In Chapter V t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r pro vided an overview o f th e r e s e a r c h procedures and f i n d i n g s concerning t h e TAA-sponsored communityc o l l e g e t r a i n i n g f o llo w in g t h e Lyons/Muir C h r y s le r P l a n t c l o s i n g . He then added s e v e r a l g en er al o b s e r v a t i o n s about f i n d i n g s from th e s t u d y , r e l a t e d r e s e a r c h , and th e e f f e c t o f th e t r a i n i n g program on t h e com­ munity c o l l e g e . He concluded by d i r e c t i n g a s e r i e s o f program- improvement recommendations toward governmental o f f i c i a l s and communityc o l l e g e l e a d e r s and s uggested s e v e r a l t o p i c s f o r f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h . APPENDICES 165 APPENDIX A TAA CONFIRMATION LETTER 166 167 U.S. Departm ent of Labor B u re a u o t In te rn a tio n a l L a b o r A lla irs Washington, D C. 20210 R e p ly lo th e A tte n tio n of: A u gu st 6, 1979 Ms. K athryn T ucker R til C arson C it y , M ich igan 48811 Dear Ms. T u cker: This i s to inform you that the C ertifyin g O fficer issued the following n o tice o f determination regarding e l i g i b i l i t y to apply for worker adjustment a ssista n ce under the Trade Act o f 1974: T A - W -5 6 6 3 C h r y s le r C o r p o r a tio n Lyons Trim P la n t L yon s, M ich igan Enclosed i s a copy o f the n o tice o f determination and a copy o f the information fly e r . Yours tr u ly , MARVIN M. P00KS D irector, O ffice o f Trade Adjustment A ssistance APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRES 168 169 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR MESC STAFF MEMBERS Why d id MESC g e t involved with TRA t r a i n i n g ? What d id MESC in te n d t o do f o r and with t h e TRA t r a i n e e s ? What kind o f r e s u l t s did MESC ex pec t from t h e TRA program? How did MESC g e t involved with TRA t r a i n i n g ? How did MESC i d e n t i f y TRA t r a i n e e s ? What s e r v i c e s d id MESC pr ovide? How did MESC p ro v id e t h e s e s e r v i c e s ? 170 Were t h e TRA p a r t i c i p a n t s given any s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s (not provided t o other c lie n ts ) ? How d id t h e t r a i n e e s respond t o t h e s e r v i c e s and coursework provided? Did MESC work w i th MCC? How would you d e s c r i b e th e r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e two ag en ci es ? What problems were enco un ter ed in t h e TRA program? How were t h e s e problems handled? How well did MESC accomplish t h e i r go als (what th ey inten ded t o do) f o r t h e TRA program? 171 How well did t h e r e s u l t s from t h e program meet with MESC's e x p e c t a t i o n s ? How could t h e TRA program have been improved? 172 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR HCC STAFF MEMBERS Why did HCC g e t involved with TRA t r a i n i n g ? What d i d HCC in te n d t o do f o r and with t h e TRA t r a i n e e s ? What kind o f r e s u l t s did MCC e x p e c t from t h e TRA program? How did MCC g et i nvolv ed wit h TRA t r a i n i n g ? How d id MCC i d e n t i f y TRA t r a i n e e s ? What s e r v i c e s did MCC p r ovid e ? 173 How did HCC provid e t h e s e s e r v i c e s ? Were th e TRA p a r t i c i p a n t s given any s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s (not provided t o o ther students)? How d id t h e t r a i n e e s respond t o t h e s e r v i c e s and coursework provided? Did MCC work w i th MESC? How would you d e s c r i b e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between th e two a g en cie s ? What problems were enco unt er ed in t h e TRA program? How were t h e s e problems handled? 174 How well d i d HCC accomplish t h e i r g o a l s (what th ey in ten ded t o do) f o r t h e TRA program? How well d id t h e r e s u l t s from t h e program meet with MCC's e x p e c t a t i o n s ? How could the TRA program have been improved? 175 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TAA PARTICIPANTS How d id you f i n d o u t about t h e TRA program? When d id you d ecid e t o p a r t i c i p a t e ? Why d id you d e c id e to p a r t i c i p a t e ? What kinds o f s e r v i c e s d id MESC pr ovide? How d i d MESC provid e t h e s e s e r v i c e s ? What kinds o f s e r v i c e s did MCC provide? 176 How did MCC pro v id e t h e s e s e r v i c e s ? How would you d e s c r i b e y o u r c o l l e g e s t u d e n t l i f e ? Do you f e e l you r e c e i v e d any s p e c i a l s e r v i c e s because you were a TRA s tu d e n t ? Do you f e e l you enco unt er ed any s p e c i a l problems because you were a TRA s t u d e n t ? What were you r g r e a t e s t accomplishments as a TRA s t u d e n t ? What problems did you e n co u n ter as a TRA s t u d e n t ? How did you deal with t h e problems? 177 Why did you l e a v e Montcalm Community College? Do you f e e l t h a t you accomplished what you wanted t o accomplish as a c o l l e g e s tu d e n t ? How could the TRA program have been improved? APPENDIX C RECORD-REVIEW INFORMATION 178 179 Code_____ Sex/Age____ Date Program Cr.Hr. 61 GPA A01 P 51 F 79 BK A02 F 53 Sp 80 Soc. W. AO3 F 41 Sp 80 CT 31 3.07 A04 F 26 Sp 80 AM 22 1.28 AOS F 50 Sp 80 CT 31 3.52 A06 F 32 Sp 80 CT 34 3.08 A07 F 28 Sp 80 ST 34 2.24 A08 F 31 Sp 80 AC 66 2.46 A09 F 23 Sp 80 ST 13 3.46 A10 M 46 Sp 80 BK 16 2.06 All F 34 F 79 ST 39 3.06 A12 F 40 SS 81 AC 6 3.65 A13 F 38 Sp 80 CT 25 2.04 A14 F 35 Sp 80 CT 36 2.98 45 3.49 2.62 180 Code_____ 5 ex/Age____Date Program Cr.Hr. GPA A15 F 45 Sp 80 CT 31 3.41 A16 F 35 SS 80 CT 47 3.59 AC 51 3.00 24 2.88 A17 F 33 F 79 A18 F 52 Sp 80 W A19 F 36 Sp 80 Soc. W. A20 F 32 Sp 80 AC 19 2.16 A21 M 25 Sp 80 AM 34 3.78 A22 F 35 Sp 80 AC 48 3.03 B01 F 29 Sp 80 AC 45 2.'96 RC 32 3.48 B02 H 27 F 79 54 3.15 B03 F 39 Sp 80 CT 36 3.03 B04 M 27 Sp 80 W 31 3.04 BOS F 55 Sp 80 W 27 2.85 B06 M 23 Sp 81 AM 7 1.11 181 Code_______S ex/Age____ Date____ Program____ Cr.Hr.____ GPA B07 F 45 F 81 RC 6 1.35 B08 F 40 Sp 80 ST 22 1.73 B09 F 34 Sp 80 CT 22 1.50 BlO F 34 Sp 80 ST 34 2.54 Bll F 31 Sp 80 MS 12 2.83 B12 F 35 Sp 80 MS 37 2.89 B13 F 47 F 79 BA 47 2.76 B14 M 23 Sp 80 W 36 3.34 B15 F 48 F 79 AC 51 3.52 B16 F 39 Sp 80 MS 37 3.16 B17 F 52 F 80 Soc. W. B18 F 49 Sp 80 CT 31 3.15 B19 F 36 Sp 80 CT 35 3.15 B20 F 35 Sp 80 CT 33 1.61 91 2.45 182 Code Sex/Age Date Program Cr.Hr. GPA C01 M 25 Sp 81 W 16 2.28 C02 M 50 Sp 80 RC 17 3.85 C03 F 50 F 81 LPN 21 2.35 C04 M 25 Sp 80 W 28 3.00 C05 F 52 F 81 RC 36 3.00 C06 F 34 Sp 80 MS 29 3.22 C07 F 34 Sp 80 MS 15 2.11 C08 M 30 Sp 81 RC 17 3.79 C09 F 48 Sp 80 W 21 2.35 CIO F 23 Sp 80 CT 28 2.01 Cll M 30 Sp 81 AC 65 3.66 C12 M 50 Sp 80 W 26 2.62 C13 F 38 Sp 80 CT 34 3.59 C14 F 31 Sp 80 LS 32.5 2.95 183 Code Sex/Age Date Program CIS F 35 Sp 80 W C16 M 40 Ss 81 CT C17 M 34 Sp 80 C18 H 34 C19 Cr.Hr. GPA 26 2.65 6 2.55 W 18 1.86 Sp 80 RC 17 3.65 M 31 Sp 81 AM 13 3.67 C20 M 33 Sp 80 RC 35 3.49 DO 1 M * Sp 80- AM 21 3.96 D02 F 39 Sp 81 CT 13 4.00 DO3 F 29 Sp 81 CT 0 DO4 F 49 Sp 80 Soc. W. DOS F 24 Sp 80 CT 36 2.73 D06 F 46 Sp 80 W 30 3.31 D07 F 28 79 BA 51 3.34 DO8 F 37 Sp 80 RC 40 3.23 F 30 2.31 184 Code Sex/Age_____ Date Program Cr.Hr. GPA DO9 P 51 F 80 LPN 49 2.28 DIO F 36 Sp 80 CT 47 3.51 Dll F 43 SS 80 CT 41 3.61 D12 F 33 Sp 80 LS 35 2.66 D13 F 46 Sp 80 MS 20 1.73 D14 F 57 SS 80 AC 27 2.38 D15 H 24 Sp 81 AC 3 0.62 D16 F 32 Sp 81 CT 12 3.13 D17 F 40 Sp 80 BK 30 2.73 D18 F 39 F 79 LS 51 2.83 D19 F 34 F 81 CT 15 3.86 D20 F 46 Sp 81 MS 7 3.33 E01 F 25 Sp 80 CT 13 3.21 E02 F 29 Sp 80 CT 38 3.84 185 Code Sex/Age_____ Date Program_____ Cr.Hr. GPA E03 F 55 Sp 80 AC 49 2.77 E04 M 31 Sp 80 CT 32 2.06 EOS M 31 Sp 80 AM 5 0.25 E06 M 43 Sp *80 LE 17 2.65 E07 M 21 Sp 80 CR 40 3.89 E08 F 33 Sp 80 AC 33 2.17 E09 M 53 Sp 80 AM 36 3.09 E10 F 43 Sp 80 AC 32 2.91 Ell F 56 Sp 80 CT 33 3.48 E12 M 41 Sp 80 W 29 2.39 E13 M 37 Sp 80 CR 34 3.92 E14 F 28 Sp 80 CT 31 3.22 E15 F 34 F 81 RC 6 1.85 E16 M 24 Sp 81 RC 12 2.92 186 Code Sex/Age_____ Date E17 M 52 Sp 80 W 31 3.52 E18 F 29 Sp 80 CT 34 3.65 E19 F 35 Sp 80 CT 38 3.58 E20 M 40 Sp 80 W 35 2.93 F01 F40 Sp 80 CT 35 3.54 F02 F 40 Sp 80 MS 37 3.06 F03 F 46 Sp 80 MS 35 1.98 F04 M 37 Sp 80 W 29 2.67 F05 M 25 Sp 80 CR 34 3.52 F06 F 45 Sp 80 AC 33 2.19 F07 M 55 Sp 80 W 34 3.00 F08 F 33 Sp 80 BK 36 1.97 F09 F 33 Sp 80 AC 37 2.78 F10 F 48 Sp 80 W 25 2.68 Program Cr.Hr. GPA 187 Code Sex/Age_____ Date______ Program____Cr.Hr. GPA Fll F 28 Sp 80 AC 39 3.33 F12 F 25 Sp 80 CT 40 2.95 F13 F 54 Sp 80 LPN 47 2.52 F14 F 49 Sp 80 MS 57 3.14 F15 F 47 F 80 49 2.30 F16 F 44 Sp 80 CT 45 2.14 F17 F £4 Sp 80 CT 12 1,75 F18 F 55 Sp 80 CT 36 3.20 F19 F 31 Sp 80 ST 16 2.47 F20 M 54 Sp 80 RC 38 3.77 G01 F 34 Sp 80 W 37 3.86 G02 F 48 Sp 80 W 35 3.91 GO3 M 36 Sp 80 RC 52 3.87 G04 F 41 Sp 80 BK 30 2.08 LPN 188 Code Sex/Age Date Program_____ Cr.Hr.____ GPA GO5 F 49 Sp 80 AC 36 3.09 GO6 F 57 Sp 81 RC 12 2.93 G07 F 44 Sp 80 Soc. W. 51 2.09 GO8 M 36 Sp 80 W 28 2.74 GO9 M 37 F 81 W 0 G10 F 41 Sp 81 RC 12 2.93 Gil F 22 Sp 80 CR 17 2.41 G12 F 39 Sp 80 LS 56 2.57 G13 M 35 Sp 80 CT 16 1.47 G14 F 35 Sp 80 Soc. W. 7 0.85 G15 F 32 Sp 80 AC 82 3.95 G16 M 24 F 79 AH 19 0.53 G18 F 37 Sp 81 MS 10 3.70 G19 M 59 Ss 81 AM 2 0.00 189 Code Sex/Age Date Program Cr.Hr. GPA G20 M 24 Sp 80 W 24 3.44 HOI M 32 Sp 80 W 33 3.94 H02 P 35 Sp 80 CT 34 2.80 H03 M 62 F 80 AM 13 1.09 H04 F 32 Sp 80 AC 21 2.59 H05 F 51 Sp 80 CR 34 3.06 H06 M 48 Sp 80 DP 13 3.90 H07 F 30 F 80 CT 44 3.59 H08 F 38 Sp 80 LPN 56 2.20 H09 F 34 Sp 80 CT 40 3.73 APPENDIX D CORRESPONDENCE 190 191 Jan u ary 29, If182 Mr. David Vote 8753 Johnson Bel d i n g , MI 48809 Dear Mr. Vote: Following the c l o s i n g o f tic-- I y e n s C h r y s l e r Trim Pirn!,, one Irri-'rc-l f i f t y former employees a t t e n d e d Meettccilnt Communi t.y C o l l e g e , u t i l i z i n g IRA b e n e f i t s fo r p a r t ia l support. With t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f l.es Morford, I am p r e s e n t l y co nd uc ting r e s e a r c h f o r th e purp ose o f d e s c r i b i n g th e TflA t r a i n i n g program and th e r e s u l t s of t h a t program. This r e s e a r c h w i l l i n v o l v e s e v e r a l a c t i v i t i e s , in c l u d i n g a survey o f a l l o f th e MCC/TI1A - p a r t i c i p a n t s . As you were a s t u d e n t under t h i s program, v.*e would l i k e t o have you p a r t i c i p a t e in t h i s s urv ey. Within one o r two weeks, you w i l l be r e c e i v i n g a q u e s t i o n n a i r e in the m a i l . We e s t i m a t e i t w i l l t a k e a b o u t 15-25 m inutes t o complete a l l th e item s. Our goal i s to r e c e i v e a com pleted q u e s t i o n n a i r e from every. KCC./TRA s t u d e n t , not j u s t a small sample. T h e r e f o r e , y o u r p a r t i c i p a t ion i s very i m p o r t a n t . As yoir r e a d th r o u g h t h e q u e s t i o n s , wc b e l i e v e you w i l l not f i n d any items which would be p o t e n t i a l l y e m b a r r a s s i n g . n o n e t h e l e s s , we want to e x p l a i n our p l a n s so t h a t you w i l l be a s s u r e d t h a t th e c o n f i d e n t i a l i t y of y o u r r e p l y w i l l he s t r i c t l y maintained. When you r e c e i v e y o u r q u e s t i o n n a i r e , you w i l l n o t i c e t h a t i t does n o t ask f o r y our name b u t t h a t t h e r e i s an i d e n t i f i c a t i o n number on i t . This number w i l l be used f o r one pu r p o se —* and one purpose only — t o d e t e r m in e v/ho lias o r lias not r e t u r n e d a q u e s t i o n n a i r e . No f u r t h e r match o f pe rson w i t h number w i l l he made. This r e s e a r c h i s i n t e r e s t e d in t h e g roup ' s r e s p o n s e s . For example, we want t o know what p e r c e n t o f t h e form er TRA stu de nts" a r e employed, n o t w het her Mary Smith o r Tom Jo nes i s employed. 192 J a n u a ry 29, 1982 Page 2 i a l l q u o s ti o n r u i ir e s h'lvo r e tl;ur(i;:d, u r n e d , we w v ni l l the Ui\>i 1e i u w gnu; yi ui i4! While we w i l l s h a r e t h e s e group l.oL=j 1v. with sev 1 in te re ste d p a r ti us. no i n d i v i d u a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e s w i l l eve r be s h ared w ith anyone. You, t o o , may be i n t e r e s t e d in t h e group t o t a l s . Included in y our q u e s t i o n ­ n a i r e w i l l be a form on which you can r e q u e s t a copy of the compiled r e s u l t s . I f you have any q u e s t i o n s no;.' o r when you r e c e i v e your survey form, p l e a s e do not h e s i t a t e to c a l l me a t th e C o l le g e . Again, look f o r your q u e s t i o n n a i r e to a r r i v e in a co uple oF weeks. Sincerely, Donald C. Burns DB/LM/jl 193 Fe b r u a r y 12, 19R2 Mr. David Vote Box -156 I o n i a , Ml 4S846 D' -ar David: S e v e r n ] days ago you s h o u l d have r e c e i v e d a l e f t in' from me v.hich out Inw-d p l a n s f o r r e s e a r c h I am c o n d u c t i n g on t h o s e who p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e ’lit', pro-.;mm by a t t e n d i n g Montcalm Community C o l l e g e . In t h a t l e t t e r , I i n d i c a t e d t h a t you would r e c e i v e t h e e n c l o s e d q u e s t I e n n a i r e which we would l i k e t o ha ve you c o mp l e t e . 1 would l i k e t o s t r e s s a c o u p l e o f i t e ms which a p p e a r e d in t h e f i r s t letter. F i r s t , we a r c v e r y h o p e f u l o f r e c e i v i n g a compl e t ed q u e s t i o n n a i r e from e v e r y f o r me r TRA s t u d e n t . T h e r e f o r e , i t i s v e r y important, t o t h i s s t u d y f or you ■To^complete and r e t u r n t h o s e m a t e r i a l s a t y o u r v e r y f i r s t o p p o r t u n i t y , he have e n c l o s e d a p o s t a g e - p a i d r e t u r n e n v e l o p e and a p e n c i l f o r your c o n ve n i e n c e . Second-, wo would l i k e t o s t r e s s t h a t y o u r c o n f i d e n t i a l i t y w.i 11 bo s t r i c t l y maintained. Wo a r e i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e g r o u p ' s r e s p o n s e s , not t h o s e a t t r i b u t e d t o any one i n d i v i d u a l . The i d e n t i f i c a t i o n number which a p p e a r s on t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e w i l l b e us ed t o d e t e r m i n e which q u e s t i o n n a i r e s have been r e t u r n e d . Only g r o up t o t a l s w i l l b e made p u b l i c ; no match w i l l be made bet ween i n d i v i d u a l p e o p l e and r e s p o n s e s . I f you h a v e any q u e s t i o n s w h a t s o e v e r a bout t h i s s t u d y o r any part, o f t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e , p l e a s e f e e l f r e e t o c o n t a c t me a t t h e C o l l e g e (51 7/32 r>—2111, e x t . 260 ) , I t h a n k you f o r y o u r w i l l i n g n e s s t o p a r t i c i p a t e in t h i s s t u d y . Sincerely, Donald C. Burns DB/l.M/j 1 194 March 1, 1982 Rosalyn P a r r i s h 682 New N. Dexter I o n i a , Ml 48846 Dear R o s a l y n : We a r e very p l e a s e d with th e r e t u r n s so f a r o f t h e TRA/MCC surveys -both in t h e number r e t u r n e d and th e thoro ugh ness w ith which th e y have been f i l l e d out. We need y o u r s , however, b e f o r e wo can begin compiling the r e s u l t s . Won't you p l e a s e t a k e a few minutes a t your ver y f i r s t o p p o r tu n i t y to complete th e su rv ey form and r e t u r n i t ? I have en c lo s e d a sc-cond copy and a r e t u r n envelope j u s t in c as e you have misp lac ed th e f i r s t . I f y o u r completed survey has been r e t u r n e d w i t h i n t h e l a s t couple of d a y s , p l e a s e i g n o r e t h i s l e t t e r , o f course . Thank you f o r y o u r a s s i s t a n c e . Sincerely, Donald C. Burns DB: j l En c lo s u r es APPENDIX E SURVEY INSTRUMENT 195 196 A S U R V E Y 0 F MONT CAL M T R A COMMON I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D I: N T S February, 1982 197 SECTION A - YOUR REACTION TO SERVICES OFFERED YOU BY MONTCALM COMMUNITY COLLEGE The f o llo w in g i s a l i s t o f s e r v i c e s which MCC may have o f f e r e d you as a TRA p a r t i c i p a n t . For each item, you a r e asked to do two t h in g s : 1. I n d i c a t e how much importance you f e e l MCC should have placed on t h i s s e r v i c e by c i r c l i n g the a p p r o p r i a t e number from 1 through 5 on the l e f t o f th e s ta t e m e n t or by checking the box l a b e le d "no o p in io n " . 2. I n d i c a t e how much importance you f e e l was placed on t h i s s e r v i c e by MCC by c i r c l i n g th e a p p r o p r i a t e number from 1 through 5 on the r i g h t o f th e s t a t e m e n t o r by checking the box l a b e l e d "no knowledge". * * * RATING SCALE * * * How much importance * * should have been placed *5 - Highes t Importance * on t h i s s e r v i c e ? *4 - Very Important * *3 - Average Importance * *2 - Not Very Important * *1 - N o Importance * £ + ****■***•*;*■*■** How much importance was placed on t h i s s e r v i c e ? 1 2 3 4 5 / / 1 12 3 4 5 /./ 2. P r i o r t o t h e beginning o f c l a s s e s , s t u - 1 2 3 4 5 f'J dents w i l l be informed o f s e r v i c e s a v a i l a b l e a t th e College ( i . e . , c o u n s e l ­ i n g , t u t o r i n g , developmental s k i l l s , library, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 /7 3. P r i o r t o beginning c l a s s e s , s t u d e n t s w i l l r e c e i v e t e s t i n g to de ter m ine th e l e v e l of t h e i r math and r e a d i n g s k i l l s . 1 2 3 4 5 0 4. As a p a r t o f t h e e n r o l lm e n t p r o c e s s , 12 3 4 5 £7 s t u d e n t s w i l l be a s s i s t e d as th e y s e l e c t t h e i r sp e c ific courses. 1 2 3 4 5 £7 5. During t h e time a s t u d e n t spends a t a c o l l e g e , t h e s t u d e n t w i l l be t r e a t e d with r e s p e c t by f a c u l t y and s t a f f . P r i o r to e n r o l lm e n t , a s tu d e n t wi l l be informed of th e programs of s tudy a v a i l ­ a b l e a t t h e C ollege. 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 /7 1 2 3 4 5 £17 198 1 2 3 4 5 CJ 6. A c o l l e g e w i l l make a s p e c i a l e f f o r t to 1 2 make per sons r e t u r n i n g t o school a f t e r an extended absence f e e l welcome. 4 5 O 1 2 3 4 5 £7 7. If pre-enrollment t e s tin g in d ic a te s a 1 2 s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t in math s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e in math s k i l l development. 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 EJ 8. I f pre-enrollment t e s t i n g in d ic a te s a 1 2 s t u d e n t t o be d e f i c i e n t in re a d in g s k i l l s , t h a t s t u d e n t w i l l be given a s s i s t a n c e in re a d in g s k i l l development. 4 5 O 1 2 3 4 5 CJ 9. I n d iv i d u a l t u t o r i n g s e r v i c e s w i l l be a v a ila b le f o r students experiencing d i f f i c u l t i e s i n one o r more c o u r s e s . 12 4 5 JZ 1 2 3 4 5 £7 10. As a s t u d e n t nea rs co mpletion o f h i s / her program o f s tu d y , t h e College w i l l p r o v id e j o b placement a s s i s t a n c e f o r th o s e who a r e seek ing employment. 1 2 4 5 £7 P l e a s e i n d i c a t e how you f e e l Montcalm Comnunity College could have improved o r added to i t s s e r v i c e s t o s t u d e n t s e n t e r i n g c o l l e g e due to th e c l o s i n g o f th e p l a n t . 199 SECTION B - YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS Four s e p a r a t e employment c a t e g o r i e s (boxes) a r e p r e s e n te d below and on the next page. P le a se s e l e c t th e one c a t e g o r y (box) which i s c l o s e s t to yo ur c u r r e n t employment s t a t u s and complete th e items in t h a t box o n l y . I. II. EMPLOYED FULL TIME 1. Compared t o my wages a t C h r y s l e r , my c u r r e n t wage i s : much h i g h e r ____ s l i g h t l y lower s l i g h t l y h i g h e r _______ ____ much lower ab ou t th e same 2. The b e s t t i t l e o r d e s c r i p t i o n o f rny p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n i s ( s e c r e t a r y , s a l e s p e r s o n , e t c . ) : _____________________________________________ __ 3. My p r e s e n t employment and rny TRA t r a i n i n g a r e : d ire ctly related somewhat r e l a t e d unrelated 4. Compared with rny job a t C h r y s l e r , my c u r r e n t employment i s : much more s a t i s f y i n g less satisfy in g more s a t i s f y i n g ____ much l e s s s a t i s f y i n g has about th e same satisfaction EMPLOYED PART TIME 1. The r easo n I am employed p a r t time r a t h e r than f u l l time i s : unable t o l o c a t e f u l l time work p r e f e r working p a r t time 2. The b e s t t i t l e o r d e s c r i p t i o n o f my p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n i s ( s e c r e t a r y , s a l e s p e r s o n , e t c . ) : _________________________________________________ 3. My p r e s e n t employment and my TRA t r a i n i n g a r e : d ire c tly related somewhat r e l a t e d unrelated 4. Compared w it h my job a t C h r y s le r , my c u r r e n t employment i s : much more s a t i s f y i n g __ l e s s s a t i s f y i n g more s a t i s f y i n g __much l e s s s a t i s f y i n g has abou t th e same satisfaction j. 200 f ill. UNEMPLOYED - SEEKING EMPLOYMENT ! ! ! ! 1. I f s u i t a b l e employment were a v a i l a b l e e lse w h e re , I would be w i l l i n g to r e l o c a t e . Yes No 2. Even i f s u i t a b l e employment were a v a i l a b l e e l s e w h e r e , I would not be w i l l i n g t o r e l o c a t e because: IV. UNEMPLOYED - NOT SEEKING EMPLOYMENT 1. The reaso n I am not p r e s e n t l y s eeking employment i s : fa m ily o b l i g a t i o n s d isco u r ag ed due t o f a i l u r e t o f i n d employment c o n t i n u i n g rny e d u c a tio n other P le a s e d i s c u s s below y our employment a c t i v i t i e s s i n c e th e C h r y s le r p l a n t c l o s e d . An example o f a re sp o n s e might be: " I was unemployed d u r in g t h e f i r s t f o u r months a f t e r t h e p l a n t c l o s e d , b u t th en found a j o b . However, t h i s p o s i t i o n l a s t e d only s i x months. Since t h a t time I have been . . . . At p r e s e n t , I am g i v i n g s e r i o u s c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o ..........................11 201 SECTION C - YOUR PERCEPTIONS OF THE BENEFIT OF THE TRA TRAINING PROGRAM In t h i s s e c t i o n you a r e asked t o i n d i c a t e by c i r c l i n g whether you s tr o n g l y agree w it h th e s ta t e m e n t (SA)» a g r e e with th e s ta t e m e n t (A), have no opinion (N), d i s a g r e e (D), o r s t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e (SO). Feel f r e e t o add comments a f t e r any of th e items i f you wish. 1. I am p le a s e d t h a t I p a r t i c i p a t e d in th e TRA t r a i n i n g program. SA A N D SD 2. I f e e l I would be b e t t e r o f f today i f I had chosen something o t h e r than TRA t r a i n i n g when C h r y s le r c l o s e d . SA A N D SD 3. I ac q u i r e d v a l u a b l e s k i l l s through my TRA training. SA A N D SD 4. I a c q u i r e d v a l u a b l e knowledge through my TRA training. SA A N D SD 202 5. My TRA t r a i n i n g pr ep are d me f o r a type o f employment which i s simply not a v a i l a b l e . SA A N D SD 6. I f a f r i e n d was l a i d - o f f and could q u a l i f y , I would recommend TRA t r a i n i n g t o him /her. SA A N D SD 7. The TRA f und ing f o r t r a i n i n g was a very im p o r t a n t b e n e f i t . SA A N D SD 8. I f e e l my TRA t r a i n i n g had l i t t l e r e l a t i o n s h i p to th e " r e a l w o r l d ." SA A N D SD 9. My a d j u s t m e n t t o t h e C h r y s le r p l a n t c l o s i n g was made e a s i e r ( f i n a n c i a l l y and e m o ti o n a ll y ) be­ cause o f t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f TRA t r a i n i n g . SA A N D SD 203 10. Most o f t h e o t h e r TRA t r a i n i n g p a r t i c i p a n t s with whom I have t a l k e d f e l t t h e i r TRA t r a i n i n g was o f l i t t l e o r no val ue t o them. SA 11. Reg ard le ss o f i t s p r e s e n t impact, I f e e l my SA TRA t r a i n i n g w i l l be h e l p f u l to me in the f u t u r e . A A N N D D SD SD 12. Because o f rpy TRA t r a i n i n g , I f e e l I am, and w i l l pro ba bly c o n t i n u e t o be, a more informed citizen. SA A N D SD 13. On th e whole, I f e e l t h e money expended on TRA t r a i n i n g was wise use o f t a x p a y e r money. SA A N D SD 14. Looking back, I wish I had acc e p te d a t r a n s f e r t o a n o t h e r C h r y s l e r p l a n t . (Omit t h i s q u e s t i o n i f no t r a n s f e r o f f e r was made.) SA A N D SD 204 P le a s e respond t o t h e f o ll o w in g by c i r c l i n g e i t h e r was o r was not and then completing th e s e n t e n c e . Overall t h e TRA t r a i n i n g program because (was was n o t ) b e n e f i c i a l f o r me P le a s e i n d i c a t e any ways in which you f e e l th e o v e r a l l TRA t r a i n i n g program could have been improved. 205 SECTION D - YOUR EXPECTATIONS WHEN YOU ENROLLED IN THE TRA COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM P le a s e i n d i c a t e y our reason o r reasons f o r o r i g i n a l l y d e c i d i n g t c e n r o l l in th e TRA Community College program. 1. Most i m p o rt a n t r easo n __________________________________________ 2. Second i n importance 3. Th ird in importance I f you wish to be put on th e mailing l i s t t o r e c e i v e a copy o f the r e p o r t , p le a s e complete ami detach t h i s p o r ti o n and r e t u r n i t along with your completed survey form. Yes, I would l i k e to r e c e iv e a copy o f the r e p o r t which r e s u l t s from t h i s study. Name Address APPENDIX F THE INVESTIGATOR'S PERSPECTIVE 207 208 Although he d e s c r i b e s t h e t r a i n i n g program from t h e view­ p o i n t s o f t h r e e groups (Department o f Labor, community c o l l e g e , and p a r t i c i p a n t s ) , t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r was a member o f one o f th e groups and n o t o f t h e o t h e r two. Serving in two Montcalm Community College a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r o l e s dur in g t h e time p e r i o d covered by t h e study (1979 t o 1982), he m a intained c o n t a c t with t h e TAA-sponsored t r a i n i n g . He was Dean o f S tu d e n t and Community S e r v ic e s from t h e mid-1970s through June 1980, when he became th e c o l l e g e V i c e - P r e s i d e n t . Immediately f o llo w i n g t h e May 1979 p l a n t - c l o s i n g announcement, he e s t a b l i s h e d communication with C h r y s le r C o r p o r atio n o f f i c i a l s and with t h e employees. A c h a r t e r member o f t h e Lyons C h r y s le r Commu­ n i t y S e r v i c e C o u n c i l, he c h a i r e d i n i t i a l e d u c a tio n and t r a i n i n g committee m eetings. Although h i s involvement w ith t h e program was l e s s d i r e c t dur in g 1980 and 1981, c o n t a c t s made du rin g th e s p r i n g and summer o f 1979 were h e l p f u l in i n i t i a t i n g t h e d a t a - g a t h e r i n g e f f o r t s f o r t h i s s tu d y . BIBLIOGRAPHY 209 BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbot, William L. "The Mansfield Formula f o r Worker Renewal." Vocational Education Journ al (May 1979). Adelman, Clem; J e n k i n s , David; and Keimis, Stephen. " R e -thinking Case Study: Notes From t h e Second Cambridge C on f e r e n c e ." Cambridge J o u rn al o f Education 6 (1976). Agar, Michael H. The P r o f e s s i o n a l S t r a n g e r , An Informal I n t r o d u c t i o n t o Ethnography! New York: Academic P r e s s , 1980. Anderson, Harry. "Where t h e Jobs Are—And A r e n ' t . 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