Due to the recent disaster declaration in the Tulelake and Klamath Basin area, Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services has received funding to open the Tulelake-Newell Local Assistance Center. The joint county (Modoc-Siskiyou) Disaster Assistance Center has been established as the one-stop for people affected by the drought situation. The Center is located at C & 2nd Street in Tulelake (530) 667-3121, and is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. The Workforce Connection partners are actively involved in the delivery of services through the Center. Margarita Reyes, Emergency Resource Technician, has been hired through Siskiyou County to serve as the resource and referral contact for the programs available to assist the local farmers and their employees.

Information from the following agencies are also available at the Tulelake-Newell Disaster Assistance Center Center: USDA Farm Service Agency, SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Rural Development Borrower Assistance, Modoc-Siskiyou Community Action Agency, Unemployment Insurance, Crisis Counseling, Human Services, Workforce Development Services and California Small Business Loan Guarantee Program.

Six Essentials for Customer Service
(by Nancy Friedman, the Telephone "Doctor," customer service consultant.)


• Put aside paperwork as soon as a customer appears. Focus completely on the customer.
• Be pleasant and helpful, no matter how busy you are.
• Do not rush a customer. Give him/her all the time he/she wants.
• Avoid industry jargon that customers may not understand.
• Be equally friendly toward everyone--not just big customers or personal friends.
• Always thank the customer.

Workforce Connection and Local Chambers Sponsor Free Employer Seminar

The Workforce Connection in collaboration with the Weed, Mt. Shasta and Yreka Chambers of Commerce sponsored a free “Customer Service” seminar on May 10th and 11th, for the Siskiyou County business community. The presenter, Jennifer Greene, Commercial Writer and Marketing Consultant, spoke about rethinking, evaluating and improving customer relationships, goals of customer relations is complete customer satisfaction, proactive vs. reaction, and generating appropriate expectations. The Workforce Connection Employer Resource Center sponsors free quarterly seminars for the business community. Topics include: Current Labor Laws, Sexual Harassment Prevention, Cal-Prevention, Cal- Requirements, Enterprise Zone and Hiring Tax Credits. The next employer seminar is scheduled for late summer.

Rapid Response Assistance to L & K Produce

In mid-April, prior to the Klamath Basin disaster declaration, the Workforce Connection received information regarding a business closure in Tulelake. L&K Produce, a potato grower/ packer/shipper was closing its doors and laying off 27 employees, of which 23 were Hispanic speaking.

Josephine Wyatt, Siskiyou County Community Coordinator, contacted L&K Produce and informed their office manager of the Rapid Response services available, and scheduled a meeting to meet with the affected employees. On May 8th, a Rapid Response informational meeting was held at L&K Produce, with agency representatives: Bruno Grossi, STEP (bilingual); Colleen Collins, STEP; Josephine Wyatt, Workforce Connection; Walt Pike, Siskiyou County Human Services; Laura Leach, Workforce Connection; Terry Steiner, Tulelake-Newell Family Center (bilingual); Erlinda Reyes, Oregon Human Development Corporation; and Connie Cornell (bilingual).

The meeting began with a presentation by Bruno Grossi, on “Who We Are”, which included information on EDD services (UI), Siskiyou County Human Services ( Medical, food stamps, cash aid), Workforce Connection services (resume preparation, CalJOBS, and various job search workshops), and STEP (WIA Dislocated Worker Programs). Erlinda Reyes, also spoke regarding WIA services available through special funding for Migrant Workers. Terry Steiner presented information on how to fill out applications, job searching skills, and interview techniques. All staff were available after the meeting to answer any questions.

L&K Produce closed on May 31, 2001 and a follow-up meeting was held on June 4, 2001. Information regarding the opening of the Tulelake-Newell Local Assistance Center was distributed and representatives from Workforce Connection agencies were available to enroll eligible clients for the various services.

NCP Program Graduation

Friday, June 15th marked the graduation ceremony of six Siskiyou County residents who participated in a pilot Non-Custodial Parent Program (NCP). The program is a partnership between Siskiyou Training & Employment Program, Siskiyou County Human Services Department, Siskiyou County District Attorney Family Support Division, and Superior Court.

The goal of the Siskiyou County NCP Program is to provide training for non-custodial parents to increase employability, insure child-support compliance, foster positive parent-child relationships, and promote cooperative parenting.

The participants worked for local private employers in paid work experience positions that related to their individual skills and interests. The employers provide the training opportunities and the partnership funds the salary and costs associated with it. If you are interested in joining us in this exciting new program, please contact Joyce Zwanziger at the Workforce Connection 938-3231.

Update from the Employment Development Department

Coming soon: two new ways to get tax info and forms. You will soon have two convenient new ways to receive tax information, forms and publications. With the new "Fax on Demand" service, available you may request to have many Employment Development Department (EDD) tax forms and publications faxed directly to you. (Tax filing and reporting forms will not be available because of their incompatibility with the EDD imaging equipment.) The new "E-Z Information Topics" service, will provide you with prerecorded audio message on specific payroll tax topics. The toll-free number for both services will be 1-877-547-4503 . Access is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to customers in the U.S. and Canada.