Jim Hackworth
In today’s high-stress world, many families are struggling to feed themselves, buy gas for their car, and pay for their utilities. Many people are unemployed, underemployed, forced to work two jobs, or work long hours to survive.
There has never been a greater need for attracting new jobs and providing opportunities for people to go back to work. The American Dream is in jeopardy for most families.
Jim Hackworth
No issue weighs heavier on people right now than the economy. Tennesseans are angry and fearful. They’re worried the American Dream is disappearing for their families because of the lack of good jobs in our communities.
They’ve seen friends, neighbors, and family members lose jobs through no fault of their own and small businesses shut down because there is no one left to buy their goods and services. People are waiting desperately to hear common sense solutions from the politicians running our state and our country. They are eager to see our East Tennessee conservative values used to make decisions that affect their daily lives.
A total of 52 jobs could be cut at two federal sites in Oak Ridge, the Y-12 National Security Complex and the East Tennessee Technology Park, a security contractor said Monday.
The plan, which follows reviews by federal officials, calls for a reduction of up to 34 security police officer and three staff positions at Y-12, according to security contractor WSI Oak Ridge. It also calls for the elimination of up to 14 security police officer positions and one staff member at ETTP.
Company employees at Y-12 and ETTP will be offered a voluntary separation program, or VSP, and applications will be accepted until Friday.
There are fewer people working in Anderson County than at the beginning of the year, and Rep. John Ragan isn’t doing enough to create and keep jobs in Tennessee, a state Democratic Party official said.
“While jobs are leaving Anderson County, Mr. Ragan continues to put on a show for voters because he has nothing to show for his time in office,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said in a blog post last week. “These are the consequences of partisan politics–a legislature that is focused on protecting schoolyard bullies instead of putting Tennesseans back to work.”
But in an e-mailed response, Ragan said the state’s unemployment rate is moving in the right direction, and the Tennessee General Assembly has passed critical pro-job legislation during the past two years.
“We have lowered taxes for all Tennesseans, cut needless business regulations, fought to end frivolous lawsuits, and passed landmark education reform,” said Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican.
A company that provides services to the nuclear industry and is headquartered in Kennewick, Wash., plans to expand into Oak Ridge and add more than 100 jobs during the next three years.
Babcock Services Inc. intends to purchase 2.5 acres at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge at the former K-25 site and construct a 13,300-square-foot building. The property will be used to manage, recover, and refurbish radioactively contaminated components from commercial nuclear power plants.
The estimated 114 new jobs created during the next three years could pay an average wage of $66,000 plus benefits, according to a project briefing distributed to Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board members.
BSI could invest close to $4 million in the project during the next three years.
On Monday, the IDB agreed to sponsor an application for a state FastTrack Infrastructure Grant on behalf of BSI. BSI would contribute a local match if the grant is approved.
