Schumer, in Medina, pledges support to keep Job Corps open

‘For months now the administration has put the Iroquois Job Corps Center in limbo. For the people who work here, for the people who train here, each day might be their last. That’s no way to live. That’s no way to do a job.’ – Sen. Schumer

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer was in Medina this morning outside Brunner to show his support for the Iroquois Job Corps Center, one of 99 that was targeted for closure by the U.S. Department of Labor. A federal judge has issued an injunction to keep the program going while the case is heard in court.

MEDINA – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer was in Medina this morning to state his strong support for keeping the Iroquois Job Corps open as well as others targeted for closure by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Schumer said the Iroquois site for about a half century has provided critical job and life skills to at-risk students.

“For months now the administration has put the Iroquois Job Corps Center in limbo,” Schumer said before a crowd of Job Corps supporters at Brunner. “For the people who work there, for the people who train there, each day might be their last. That’s no way to live. That’s no way to do a job.”

Schumer said there is bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate to keep Job Corps funded into the future. The program is currently funded until Sept. 30 but a budget bill advanced by the Trump administration doesn’t include money for Job Corps. Schumer said the Senate will include funds for Job Corps, but the House of Representatives needs to hear from communities that back the continued funding for the program.

“We’re all here with one single message: We want to save the Iroquois Job Corps Center,” Schumer said. “We got to save it if we want our young people to have a future. We don’t want them to have a handout. We want them to have a future. They should know if they work hard and learn a skill they can get a good-paying job to support a family and be proud parents and proud spouses. That’s what this center has done for so long.”

Brunner hosted Schumer’s press conference because the company has a longstanding relationship with Job Corps. The center has directed many high-quality employees to runner and other local companies, said Eric Bauer, general manager for Brunner in Medina. The company on Bates Road manufactures brake systems for tractor trailers.

“The program has proven to be a reliable pipeline for well-qualified individuals who support Brunner’s ongoing success,” Bauer said about the Job Corps.

Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson speaks in support of the Iroquois Job Corps Center. She said the program has an $8.9 million direct impact on the local economy. She noted the National Association of Counties made keeping the Job Corps program open one of the association’s top priorities during its conference last month. “It’s no secret that we consider the Iroquois Job Corps center in Medina hugely important to creating pathways to employment for many young men and women,” Johnson said.

Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced on May 29 that 99 privately run Job Corps centers would go on “pause” due to what she said were low graduation rates and high incidents of violence. She said Job Corps is not cost-effective. She set June 30 as the date for the centers to close, with students to be sent home earlier on June 6.

But U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter said the Department of Labor can’t dismantle a program that Congress established and set aside funding to run. A preliminary injunction nationally will allow the centers to stay open while litigation continues.

The Job Corps program was founded in 1964 to help teenagers and young adults who struggled to finish traditional high school and find jobs. The program provides tuition-free housing at residential centers, training, meals and health care.

Schumer said he is optimistic Job Corps will win in court. He said ending the program in the middle of the year “is wrong and probably illegal.”

The Iroquois site has 100 employees with a capacity to serve 225 students. But right now only 46 students are on site. Iroquois needs the DOL to do students’ background checks so students can return to the centers.

Pictured from left: Eric Seppala, center director of the Iroquois Job Corps; graduate Kevon Parson; U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer; and Lindzey Clark, a 2022 Job Corps graduate.

A recent Job Corps graduate spoke about the program’s impact in his life. Kevon Parson, 24, graduated four years ago. He has completed his apprenticeship as a mason and is now a journeyman working for a Buffalo contractor.

Parson said the program strengthened him in more ways than just learning a trade. He was the student government president while at Job Corps. He said the staff pour their hearts into the student body, helping to equip them from when they graduated.

“The employees aren’t there for a check,” he said. “They love the students. When they look at you, you aren’t a bar code on your forehead. You’re a human.”

Lindzey Clark, a 2022 graduate of Job Corps, completed  a program as a certified clinical medical assistant. When she graduated, she worked a job at the Rite Aid in Batavia. Now she is back in school at Niagara County Community College studying psychology with a goal to become a therapist.

Clark said Job Corps is critical for many of students who come to the center in challenging life circumstances.

Many of the students earn their driver’s licenses, and learn other life skills for the next steps of their lives, she said.

“They completely set you up for more than a trade,” Clark said.

Rollin Hellner said Job Corps graduates have been hard-working employees for his business that tackles many redevelopment projects in the region.

Rollin Hellner, owner and president of Hellner Development Company, said he has hired more than a dozen graduates from Job Corps who work in carpentry, masonry and other construction skills.

Those Job Corps graduates bring an eagerness to learn skills and work on projects, Hellner said.

“It’s important to bring the next generation into a career path,” he said.

Job Corps, he said, “is an investment in education, people and our future.”

Jennifer Hill-Young, representing the Medina Rotary Club, said Job Corps students have helped local service clubs put on many of their events and fundraisers. Students also made Buddy Benches for local parks, birdfeeders at a local nursing home and Adirondack chairs for public spaces in the community.

“Their students not only learn valuable trades – they put those skills to work by giving back to their community,” Hill-Young said. “What truly sets them apart is the pride and heart they bring to every project. The Rotary Club of Medina is incredibly grateful for Iroquois Job Corps’ partnership.”