Madison…..Senator Dale Schultz wants to stop plans by Governor Jim Doyle’s administration to force every Job Center in rural Wisconsin to close. 

In a letter to Doyle’s Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development, Roberta Gassman, Schultz said moving all Job Service personnel to 12 urban locations fails the needs of rural areas.

Schultz is asking the Doyle administration to start anew and develop a better plan that doesn't abandon rural Wisconsin.

"A better plan would be a responsive state government that collaborates on ways to provide more services to rural workers and employers in response to the current economic and flooding challenges in rural Wisconsin," Schultz said.  

Schultz said the Doyle plan was not responsive to rural areas because it was developed without an effort to collaborate with rural community leaders, rural residents and the other partners that work with job seekers at rural Job Center offices. 

Job Centers help workers obtain training and find jobs, and help employers find qualified employees and access training and hiring programs.  Partners that make Job Centers possible include DWD Job Service, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, technical colleges, W-2 agencies, Workforce Investment Act service providers and regional, county and community agencies such as Community Action Program.

“Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development withdrawing staff and funding would force the Job Centers across rural Wisconsin closed, or, the partner organizations would have to come up with substantially more money to continue services and keep the Centers open,” Schultz said.  

Schultz said rural property taxpayers can't bear the burden if state resources are taken away, forcing rural Job Centers to close.  He said the Doyle plan treats rural communities unfairly in part because incomes in rural areas are considerably less than in urban areas. 

"Median household incomes are significantly lower in rural regions than in urban areas," Schultz said.  "The result is that our current economic circumstances, including plant closings and mass layoffs, cause greater burdens on rural communities and workers than for urban areas.  This past month's flooding disaster exacerbates the plight of rural folks."  

Schultz said while the Doyle plan relies heavily on providing services through the internet, many rural workers lack computer skills and many rural areas don't even have broadband internet service to access job search and job training services.