Job Training Program Pays Off in San Diego

When the last tuna cannery in San Diego closed its doors in July of 1984, more than 1,000 workers found themselves out of work with no prospect of new employment.

The workers were primarily women who cleaned, processed and packed the fish at the Van Camp cannery. Most were of Latino background, more than 40 years of age, and could not speak English.

“These people had extreme barriers to re-employment,” said Tim Mullennix of the Private Industry Council of San Diego, which directed a program that trained the Van Camp workers for new jobs.

“We’re not going to accept that in San Diego,” Mayor Roger Hedgecock told the crowd at a recent graduation ceremony for 600 cannery workers who completed a retraining program funded by the state and federal governments.

Eighty percent of the graduates have since found jobs, Mullennix said.

Financing Found

The search for money from Washington and Sacramento began when Hedgecock learned that Van Camp planned to shut down the plant.

California congressmen and officials of the U.S. Department of Labor met with Hedgecock and pledged $1 million. The state chipped in $500,000.

“We weren’t looking for a handout, but for money to train these people. Like in the frost belt section of the United States, when so many people are laid off at once, immediate action is needed. They (Washington) liked that approach,” Hedgecock said.

“This is the finest hour this city has had,” the mayor said. “We can build buildings but to create jobs for people is for me one of the most personally gratifying efforts of my job.”

“We cut through the bureaucratic systems awfully fast,” Mullennix said. “This city, in a concerted effort, took it to heart and put these people back to work.”

The new skills learned by the workers will enable them to move upward in the new positions, Mullennix said. The skills used in the cannery were not easily transferable.

Not a Usable Skill

Mullennix said the displaced workers could not walk up to a potential employer and say, “I can skin a fish faster than you can blink an eye.”

The graduates of the program are now employed as electronic technicians, data entry clerks, medical office assistants, optical technicians, bank tellers and assemblers.

“These people were more highly motivated than the average unemployed person,” said Steven Woolly of General Dynamics, which hired several graduates of the program, mostly in the firm’s production area.

Phyllis Aleman, who had been a fish cleaner since 1968, was at the ceremony.

“I was out of place when the plant closed,” she said. “I learned something beautiful. I have a job in the medical field.”

‘Now I Am Confident’

Santos Carabajal was trained in the field of electronics.

“I was sick and scared to be laid off my job,” he said. “Now I am confident I can find a new job.”

Mullennix explained that it was more than just a city rallying behind the unemployed.

“This group is totally measurable,” he said. “We have followed them from the plant closure to their readjustment to employment. We know exactly what was saved in unemployment benefits and welfare. We expect to be able to return money to the Department of Labor, in fact.”

Several other cities have been closely watching San Diego’s program. Denver, with scheduled factory closings this winter, is particularly interested in retraining workers, according to Mullennix.

“This is a perfect example of what a community can do; I congratulate these people,” Hedgecock said.