State Rapid Response Team Offers Help to Displaced Defense Contractor Employees

For the 100 or so workers who suddenly lost their jobs Monday at Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (ASFT), the state’s Rapid Response Team continues to reach out and meet with individuals to help navigate through the next steps of unemployment and, hopefully, reemployment.

Five specialists from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (RIDLT) had arrived at the ASFT facilities in the Aquidneck Corporate Park on Monday within two hours of learning about the company’s shutdown, according to Laura Hart, spokesperson for RIDLT.

“The Rapid Response Team is something we have available for any business whenever there’s widespread layoffs, or this type of event,” Hart said. “There’s a lot of anxiety, understandably, that comes with losing your job and the sooner we can get in there to help alleviate some anxiety the better we can help them adjust and do whatever they’ll need to do at that point.”

ASFT workers who were unable to meet with the RIDLT team on Monday should expect to be contacted individually as part of their continued outreach efforts, Hart said.

The five Rapid Response specialists who arrived on scene Monday offered assistance on preparing to file for unemployment and knowing what to expect, options for health insurance and learning how the state can further assist with their job search, Hart explained.

State Sen. Lou DiPalma (D-Dist.12) said that state and local officials at multiple levels were monitoring the situation closely, especially given Rhode Island’s already high numbers of unemployed workers as well as the defense industry’s impact to the Rhode Island economy. The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation reportedly had also reached out to the state to discuss ways to help the displaced workers.

On Monday, as employees left work at ASFT for the last time, some worried about any stigmas they might carry as they seek new employment, given the ongoing federal investigation into an alleged $10 million kickback and bribery scheme that so far has resulted in charges against ASFT’s founder and president, as well as the freezing of company assets by the federal government.

The larger circumstances surrounding ASFT’s company shutdown did not affect the way the state has responded with outreach efforts, Hart said. She noted that state jobs counselors will make every effort to market the new work force for comparable positions.

“Every indicator is their work performance is great,” Hart said. “Many of these people have specialized skills that are very desirable right now. It’s very possible that a lot of these people will land on their feet quickly. We’re already hearing about job offers for a number of them.”

The company-wide lay-offs took effect as of noon on Monday. Around 1 p.m, ASFT senior analyst Paul Shenosky told Patch that he was on his way to an interview with a local competitor at that very moment. More employee comments as they departed ASFT on Monday can be viewed here.

Hart added, “We’ll reach out to other businesses—not just defense contractors—but like-minded industries, and we’ll market this particular pool of workers with these skills.”

For more information, out-of-work employees can contact the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training at (401) 243-9100 or visit their Web site here.