Job fair heat

It was a hot day Tuesday for James Wilburn and hundreds of other unemployed Hoosiers to be looking for work. who attended the 6th Congressional District job fair on the Ball State University campus. The Richmond man was probably one of the luckier job seekers who had only been laid off two months and was looking for work as an electrician or truck driver.

Hundreds more had not seen a pay check in months or years as the fight over extended benefits and help for laid off teachers and public safety workers continued in Congress. Republican Congressman Mike Pence missed his first job fair in a decade after the House returned for a rare August meeting to approve a $26 billion jobs bill for teachers and public safety workers and another $600 million going to US-Mexico border security.

Pence recently voted against  extending federal unemployment benefits and also money for laid off  teachers and public safety workers and faces re-election in November, Lani Czarniecki, Pence's district director, said Pence was committed to help match employers with  new workers, but had concerns like other House Republicans that the government was spending money it did not have.  

There were a handful of employers at the fair in Worthen Arena that needed skilled trade workers and truck drivers. The Dollar General Corp. saw a flood of applications for  workers  at its Marion warehouse and Exide had dozens of people applying for a single laborer's position. Jo Ann Gora, president of Ball State University, said the university was committed to be a good partner to the community by providing a venue for the job fair.

The university also provides plenty of educational opportunities for the unemployed and is the largest employer locally with the largest number of openings. There were some unique businesses like A Simple Reminder, a cell phone text messaging service that can be used to remind people of events, meetings or gatherings among friends and family.

The service was available on nearly all mobile networks and had unlimited use. It's website is www.aSimpleReminder.com More than 70 employers made themselves available at the job fair has more than 400 people signed up by noon. The reality is there are not enough jobs  for everyone willing and able to work.or  benefits for the unemployed in an economy worse than the Great Depression.