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The owners of Renewable Environmental Solutions, the Carthage plant that turns agriculture waste into fuel oil, were silent on Tuesday, as was the plant itself.
Numerous messages left with the Changing World Technologies offices in West Hempstead, N.Y. went unreturned as the city and workers continued to wonder about the future of the troubled plant.
In the meantime, the Missouri Career Center and Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri said they were moving to help workers displaced by layoffs at the RES plant.
Jasen Jones, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board, said it decided it needed to go to the aid of the displaced workers and have scheduled an informal meeting for workers at 10 a.m. Friday at the Fairview Christian Church 2320 S. Grand Ave., in Carthage.
"We moved after we received calls from several workers asking what they should do," Jones said. "People have made enquiries of us about what is available and how to apply for unemployment insurance."
Jones said the meeting will start with something similar to grief counseling for someone who has lost a loved one.
"Losing a job is a big deal," Jones said. "With a job loss comes major change and at this meeting we'll let them talk about it if they want to, then offer solutions they can consider as to how to get back into the workforce."
The meeting also includes an orientation to the Career Center services available to workers to help them find another job. Other services include information about applying for unemployment insurance and changes to that program; assistance in job searches; ways employees can get trained for a new career, sometimes at no cost to the employee or potential employer; and options for exploring for a new career.
Jones said if there is any silver lining for the displaced workers it's that the pace of layoffs seems to be slowing and some employers are actually hiring.
The latest unemployment numbers from the Missouri Department of Economic Development showed an unemployment rate that had jumped 2.5 percent from 5.5 percent in January 2008 to 8 percent in January 2009.
Employment reports from individual cities in Missouri, however, showed that Joplin and Columbia were the only two areas that actually gained jobs in January 2009. Joplin gained 400 jobs in the month.
Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Joseph, St. Louis and Springfield all lost jobs in the month.
"Some of the call centers added jobs in this area," Jones said. "The casinos were also adding jobs. I don't know if the Department of Economic Development included them in that number because they are not in Missouri, but they are a major employer of Missouri workers."
The owners of Renewable Environmental Solutions, the Carthage plant that turns agriculture waste into fuel oil, were silent on Tuesday, as was the plant itself.
Numerous messages left with the Changing World Technologies offices in West Hempstead, N.Y. went unreturned as the city and workers continued to wonder about the future of the troubled plant.
In the meantime, the Missouri Career Center and Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri said they were moving to help workers displaced by layoffs at the RES plant.
Jasen Jones, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board, said it decided it needed to go to the aid of the displaced workers and have scheduled an informal meeting for workers at 10 a.m. Friday at the Fairview Christian Church 2320 S. Grand Ave., in Carthage.
"We moved after we received calls from several workers asking what they should do," Jones said. "People have made enquiries of us about what is available and how to apply for unemployment insurance."
Jones said the meeting will start with something similar to grief counseling for someone who has lost a loved one.
"Losing a job is a big deal," Jones said. "With a job loss comes major change and at this meeting we'll let them talk about it if they want to, then offer solutions they can consider as to how to get back into the workforce."
The meeting also includes an orientation to the Career Center services available to workers to help them find another job. Other services include information about applying for unemployment insurance and changes to that program; assistance in job searches; ways employees can get trained for a new career, sometimes at no cost to the employee or potential employer; and options for exploring for a new career.
Jones said if there is any silver lining for the displaced workers it's that the pace of layoffs seems to be slowing and some employers are actually hiring.
The latest unemployment numbers from the Missouri Department of Economic Development showed an unemployment rate that had jumped 2.5 percent from 5.5 percent in January 2008 to 8 percent in January 2009.
Employment reports from individual cities in Missouri, however, showed that Joplin and Columbia were the only two areas that actually gained jobs in January 2009. Joplin gained 400 jobs in the month.
Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Joseph, St. Louis and Springfield all lost jobs in the month.
"Some of the call centers added jobs in this area," Jones said. "The casinos were also adding jobs. I don't know if the Department of Economic Development included them in that number because they are not in Missouri, but they are a major employer of Missouri workers."
