Editorial: Eastern Band kept in dark about Job Corps

Tuesday, March 27, 2007  

"The U.S. Department of Labor has yet to provide a satisfactory reason for abruptly closing a work center for troubled youths in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Shutting down the Job Corps center means 70 workers will lose their jobs over the next two months and 150 students will have to be transferred to other centers within a week.

It also means breaking a government contract with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which supplies 30 workers to the center. The contract was set to expire at the end of June.

If the Park Service has been failing to maintain the facilities for years, why didn’t the Labor Department take action to remedy the situation long ago? And why, if the problems have existed for years, does the facility have to be closed without appropriate communication with the staff, the Eastern Band or the local congressman?"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Closing of Job Corps center deserves explanation (The Asheville Citizen-Times 3/27)

$rl Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians - http://www.cherokee-nc.com