When will economy perk up in Elgin?
I have been covering local layoffs for the past two years. Supposedly, our economy is picking up.
The Yankees winning the World Series Wednesday night apparently is another indicator that America will come out of its financial rut.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that stock market returns in years following such Yankee victories have averaged 10 percent, and GDP increases have averaged 5 percent. Moreover, this year they defeated the Phillies, whose past World Series victories have gone hand in hand with recessions. As one newspaper editor, Gary Weckselblatt of The Intelligencer News in Doylestown, Pa., put it, "The triumphs of Philadelphia baseball always coincide with the devastation of the U.S. economy."
I hope it's true that a Yankees World Series win bodes well for the economy. I'm cautiously optimistic. Thursday, I called up School District U46's Paula Grocke, a 14-year veteran secretary for the communications staff. I asked her if I could do a short, fun article about her job as a secretary. In seconds, the conversation turned dismal. She found out a week ago that her position has been eliminated for next school year. She has a job until the end of the school year. However, at this point, she's the only administrative secretary who will be laid off.
It means that she has to walk into U46 headquarters every day for the rest of the year knowing that she will be laid off. She said when she stepped into the office Monday, "It was hard."
Paula is 65 years old. She was thinking about retiring before the downward economic spiral began. Now she said she can't, and she has to at least find a part-time job somewhere. When she told me this, it took everything in me to hold back tears. Just the thought of someone close to my dad's age having to look for work or take work they're way overqualified for is just not right.
I have worked with Paula over the last three years covering the district. She is wonderful. She's always pleasant. She goes above and beyond for me. She helps me set up photo assignments. She always takes messages for me with a laugh. When I found out that she's losing her job, these layoffs hit home. I wanted to give her a hug. I know how hard she works and I know the district is trying to erase its $53.5 million deficit. But to me, Paula's not a statistic, she's a person, a friendly voice and a face that's comforting to me.
I called her up to tell her I was sorry. But no words can compensate for what she's feeling, along with thousands of other U46 employees who are walking on eggs, knowing that hundreds of future staff cuts are inevitable.
It's not just in U46. The city has been laying off employees left and right. Just this week, in another move to have a balanced budget for 2010, the city laid off 13 more full-time employees. Those released were members of Service Employees International Union Local 73. SEIU represents public works, water department and certain technical and clerical employees.
The city also let go three part-time workers in the finance department and two part-time positions in the police records office. Some seasonal positions in public works — less than a dozen — won't be filled next year, City Manager Sean Stegall said.
This week's layoffs should save the city about $1.2 million, Stegall said. Those come on top of trimming another $1.2 million in salaries last month when Elgin let go 11 full-timers and one part-timer who were not union members.
So when does it end? Elgin's unemployment rate is about 14 percent. After talking with some long-time U46 teachers, I'd have to agree with them when they said this economy is an excuse to fire people. Many companies, cities and school districts eventually will see their deficits dwindle. Is that bottom line worth it? How can quality work be done when there's hardly anyone there to do it?
