Fund Begun to Help Oaklanders Get Jobs at

Army Base
By Ashley Chambers
L to R, Johnny Evans, Otis Duckett, and Jeffery Duckett have been working for years to get
jobs at the Oakland Army Base. Photos by Ashley Chambers
Fund Begun to Help Oaklanders Get
Jobs at Army Base
By Ashley Chambers
Community groups and leaders have come together to support local
workers who have been trying for several years to fill the jobs that
have been promised with so much fanfare at the Oakland Army Base
development project.
Seeking to help job seekers overcome barriers to employment, the
Oakland Post has taken the initiative to set up a worker assistance
fund to help job seekers pay for work equipment and other fees.
Supporting the fund are Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney,
the West Oakland Job Resource Center, the Urban Strategies
Council and City Administrator Fred Blackwell.
The fund is kicking off by providing support for four workers, who
have years of experience in the building and construction trades but
have struggled to pay for work equipment and cover union fees,
which could allow them to qualify for union jobs on the Army Base.
So far, the four have not made much headway in either of the two job
pathways going through a local union or sponsorship by a
company. A letter of sponsorship from one of the companies working
on the development would give these local job seekers two years of
permanent employment, says Fernander Thompson, an Oakland
resident who has devoted his efforts to getting hired on the Army
Base since 2012.
Thompson, along with Jeffery Duckett, Johnny Evans, and Otis
Duckett, have worked temporary warehouse jobs for the past three
years to make ends meet.
Still, they remain hopeful that with the necessary resources and a
sponsor, they will finally get a chance to put their skills to work on the
Army Base.

Weve been waiting, says Duckett. I want to get into the Army Base
like everybody else is getting in there. Im ready to work; we just
havent had the opportunity.


These four workers, like so many others, do not lack training. With
many years in warehousing, construction, landscaping, and welding,
they are highly experienced. In addition, they have worked closely
with the West Oakland Job Resource Center to enhance their skills
with workshop trainings and apprenticeship programs.

They, like many other job seekers in West Oakland, are counting on
the promise of Army Base jobs for local residents West Oakland was
particularly impacted by the loss of jobs with the close of the Army
Base. Its really critical that West Oakland residents are empowered
to receive the jobs that are returning to the base, says Brigitte Cook,
West Oakland Community Liaison with Councilmember Lynette
McElhaneys office.


The job center is working to get residents to apply and be qualified
for these positions. Were tracking the number of residents,
particularly in the 94607 and 94608 areas, to see how successful our
outreach is and make sure our efforts are going to encourage West
Oakland residents to apply for those positions, Cook continued.
Andreas Cluver, Secretary-Treasurer of the Building and Construction
Trades Council of Alameda County, encourages job seekers looking
to get into construction to first go through pre-apprenticeship
programs [Construction] is a difficult industry to get into, but pre-
apprenticeship programs are so essential. Their chances of success
are going to be much higher, Cluver said.
As far as funding, Cluver adds, The city should continue funding
these programs to ensure that [job seekers] have access to the
services they need. That really needs to be coming from public
sources.
The promised worker support funding that was meant to be part of
the West Oakland Job Resource Center has not materialized. That
money was supposed to come form revenue from billboards, which
have not been built.
Duckett, Thompson, Evans, and Duckett have already received
contributions towards their work equipment but are still looking for
donors to cover their union dues, and are seeking a company
sponsor. They have committed to reimburse the funds paid after they
find permanent employment so that job seekers after them can also
receive the benefits.
The Post will be following this story and tracking the progress of
these four men and their journey to employment.
For more information on how to make a contribution, call the Oakland
Post at (510) 287-8207.