Teamsters Black Caucus brings job opportunities to the south side
Teamsters Black Caucus brings job opportunities to the south side
By Safiyyah P. Muhammad
To offer local residents an opportunity to earn a decent living wage, the Chicago Chapter for the Teamster National Black Caucus sponsored their first annual job fair, December 12th at The Rink, 1122 East 87th Street, located in the heart of the Eighth Ward.
"We are here today because many African-American citizens in the Chicagoland area are missing out on union jobs--jobs that pay a living wage. It was our idea that we would bring union jobs to the Black community,” said Ramon Williams, president of Chicago’s Teamsters National Black Caucus.
According to Williams, the caucus’ goal was to attract between 200-300 job seekers looking for employment in transportation and shipping. “We have quite a few companies here with representatives from UPS, YRC, The City of Chicago Department of Aviation, O’Hare Shuttle Bus Company, MV Transportation, First Student Group School Bus Company, and several others,” Williams said.
Eighth Ward Alderwoman Michelle Harris said, “This is a job fair and here are the opportunities to work with different companies across the city. I think it is important for people to be here to have access to the opportunities. It can’t get any better than this. We are dropping it right in their laps.”
Stacy Webb, a 45-year-old Chicago resident and a professional brick mason attended the job fair in hopes of changing his career from brick masonry to a permanent position as a truck driver. He said, “Because my job as a brick mason is seasonal, I was looking for work that would keep me going throughout the year, instead of being laid off during the winter time. You just never know what you will find at these jobs fairs. It could be a life-changing experience.”
According to the Illinois Policy website, Illinois has the highest Black male unemployment rate in the Midwest, with unemployment at 15% in the state. Unemployment for blacks in neighboring states such as Missouri and Indiana were just under 10%.
“I think the first thing that our youth should do is further their education. Not everyone is college material, and we understand that. There are other forms of employment in the Chicago area that they can gravitate towards like truck driving. Don’t give up hope; because there are so many jobs out here that are available to you.”
Timothy Maue, a supervisor for YRC (formerly Yellow and Roadway) Freight, stated that 23 job seekers had frequented his table to inquire about attending YRC’s driving academy. “I’m here because we have opened our own CDL Driving Academy in Hammond, Indiana. We are willing to train drivers absolutely for free, providing that they sign a one-year contract and work for us for one year. In that one year contract, they are expected to make between $65,000-$70,000 dollars.”
Aldermanic support came from Sixth Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer and 8th Ward Alderwoman Michelle Harris’ offices. Trailor added that media outlets such as WGN, WVON, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter helped in announcing the job fair.
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