Ryan Calls on Welded Tube to Pursue Local Hiring for New Lackawanna Facility

December 14, 2012

Buffalo – Today, December 14, 2012, New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan urged Welded Tube to commit to working with the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) to hire local Lackawanna residents for jobs that will be created at their new facility, which will be located at the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. A deal to bring the Welded Tube facility to Lackawanna was announced in October. The DOL maintains the “New York State Job Bank”, one of the largest job banks in the country. Businesses both large and small can register with the New York State Job Bank to post, manage and edit jobs, and can access their resume database, all at no cost. The DOL also hosts Career Fairs and can help with recruitment efforts. The Career Fairs can be organized with little or no cost to the participating business, and can be targeted to specific towns, villages, or cities. In a letter to Welded Tube President And CEO R.S. Mandel, Ryan urged the company to take advantage of all the services that the DOL offers in order to find qualified Lackawanna residents seeking employment. Welded Tube plans to hire approximately 120 employees, and plans to begin production at the Tecumseh Business Park in Lackawanna by August of 2013.

“It is great news that Welded Tube is coming to Lackawanna, and the company should work hard to make sure the people of Lackawanna benefit the most from this investment.” said Assemblyman Ryan. “From a $7.7 million PILOT agreement, to incentives from New York Empire State Development and the NY Power Authority, Welded Tube’s $50 million investment is being coupled with significant public investment. Welded Tube should build upon this investment by making local hiring a top priority. To accomplish this, they should immediately get started on working with the New York State Department of Labor to post jobs in the New York State Job Bank, and set-up a Career Fair in Lackawanna to find Lackawanna residents who can fill their employment needs. The DOL offers a wide-array of services at little or no cost to businesses, and Welded Tube should partner with them to fulfill their hiring needs for the new facility. It’s great to see new life coming back to the former Bethlehem Steel site, and Welded Tube should work diligently to make sure this deal to invest in Lackawanna’s future benefits the people of Lackawanna.”

"The jobs coming from Welded Tube should benefit Lackawanna residents, plain and simple,” said Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski. “The City of Lackawanna should see as much benefit as possible from this new facility, and employing local workers should be Welded Tube's top priority. Working with the Department of Labor will be a good start to finding qualified workers who can make this facility a success."

“The redevelopment of the former Bethlehem steel site by Welded Tube USA’s manufacturing business in the City of Lackawanna’s first ward will pave the way for more business and jobs to come to the City of Lackawanna,” said Lackawanna First Ward Council Member Abdul Noman. “I hope Welded Tube will hire many Lackawanna residents for their new facility.”

"Welded Tube needs to keep the focus on doing what is best for the people of Lackawanna,” said Rev. Mark E. Blue, Pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Lackawanna. “This plant will create many good jobs and those jobs should first be offered to Lackawanna residents. I am hopeful that this new business will be good for our community, and a positive future will start with more employment for Lackawanna workers.”

A copy of Ryan’s letter appears below. For more information please contact Assemblyman Ryan’s Buffalo office at 716.885.9630.

December 14, 2012

R.S. Mandel
CEO/President
Welded Tube
111 Rayette Road
Concord ON L4K 2E9
CA

Dear Mr. Mandel:

I write today regarding your company’s plans to invest in a new facility in Lackawanna New York. I am pleased to see that your company is seeking to transform a part of the long-vacant Bethlehem Steel property. Your interest in Lackawanna is great news, and I hope that this initial investment will continue to grow into the future. We should keep in mind that Welded Tube’s $50 million investment is being coupled with significant public investment. From a $7.7 million PILOT agreement, to incentives from NYS Empire Development and the NY Power Authority, Welded Tube is relying on community support to make this venture a success. Welded Tube should build upon this public investment by making local hiring a top priority. To accomplish this, I am urging you to immediately get started on working with the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) to find qualified Lackawanna residents who can meet your employment needs.

It’s great to see new life coming back to the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. Welded Tube should work diligently to make sure this investment in Lackawanna’s future directly benefits the people of Lackawanna. The DOL offers a wide-array of services at little or no cost to businesses, and Welded Tube should partner with them to fulfill all hiring needs for the new facility. The DOL maintains the “New York State Job Bank”, one of the largest job banks in the country. Businesses both large and small can register with the New York State Job Bank to post, manage and edit jobs, and can access their resume database, all at no cost. The job bank can also be used to find qualified candidates within specific zip codes. The DOL also hosts Career Fairs and can help with recruitment efforts. The Career Fairs can be organized with little or no cost to the participating business, and can be targeted to specific towns, villages, or cities. Welded Tube should work with the DOL to find qualified candidates in Lackawanna through the job bank. At the same time, you should also talk with the DOL about planning a Career Fair in Lackawanna, in order to make your presence known and give Lackawanna residents the opportunity to apply for employment with Welded Tube. Sadly, Lackawanna is home to a very high unemployment rate, and increasingly high rates of poverty. The jobs created by Welded Tube could greatly help to improve the quality of life for the people of Lackawanna.

Lackawanna residents should have the first shot at the dozens of new jobs that will be created in their city. The DOL can help Welded Tube to make this a reality. Please contact me at your earliest convenience, so that we can arrange a meeting with officials at the DOL to discuss the opportunities I have mentioned. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important matter.

Sincerely,
Sean M. Ryan
Member of Assembly

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