'GLOBAL
'GLOBAL CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT.' THEY WORK WITH MILITARY POSTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY... INCLUDING
FORT KNOX.... EMPLOYING VETERANS
AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
THE LETTER EXPLAINED THEY MAY BE
IN
IN
IN DANGER
IN DANGER OF LOSING THEIR JOBS BECAUSE
THE ARMY WAS LOOKING FOR A
CHEAPER CONTRACT.
IN APRIL..THE PROBLEM SHIFTED.
FOCUS INVESTIGATOR HEATHER
FOUNTAINE REPORTS.
FOUNTAINE REPORTS.
WE
WE START
WE START HERE GET OUR TRASH CANS AND OUR GLOVES, AND
WE START THE DAY
THE JOB IS SIMPLE ....
WE COME IN AND
EMPTY ALL THE TRASH WITHIN THE
BUILDING
EVERY SURFACE SCRUBBED...
EVERY
EVERY CORNER CLEANED.... KEEPING BUILDINGS TIDY -- TO MAKE SURE THE REST OF FORT KNOX
SHINES LIKE THE GOLD VAULT
ITSELF 3:50:33 THIS JOB MEANS
A LOT TO ME
RICHARD MYLDY , A 74 YEAR OLD
VIETNAM VETERAN, CAME OUT OF
RETIREMENT TO HELP SUPPORT HIS
DAUGHTERS DURING THE PANDEMIC
3:40:04 MY OLDEST
DAUGHTER LOST HER JOB AND OF
COURSE I TRIED TO HELP HER OUT
AND I HAVE A DAUGHTER IN
SCOTTVILLE WHO HAS CYSTIC
FIBROSIS
FIBROSIS
AND
AND OF
AND OF COURSE SHE NEEDED SOME ASSISTANCE HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF LUCKY TO
HAVE BEEN HIRED BY GLOBAL
CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT
3:50:45 IT'S NOT EVERY
PLACE
PLACE THAT WILL HIRE A 74 YEAR OLD MAN WITH DISABILITIES - THOUGH YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO
SEE THEM, I HAVE A SHOULDER
INJURY FROM VIETNAM, I SUFFER FROM AGENT ORANGE, I HAD A
TRIPLE HEART BYPASS THAT'S THE
GOAL OF G-C-E... TO EMPLOY
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES -
HELPING THEM TO LIVE MORE
INDEPENDENTLY
3:24:20 HONESTLY I
THINK THEY WOULD STRUGGLE TO
FIND WORK IF WE WEREN'T AROUND,
QUITE FRANKLY
QUITE FRANKLY CHUCK WHITE IS THE GCE PROJECT MANAGER AT FORT KNOX ... THE
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN
ON BASE FOR ABOUT A DECADE...
CURRENTLY EMPLOYING 103 PEOPLE.
3:31:46 70% OF MY
EMPLOYEES ARE CUSTODIAL 3:24:47 COUPLE
MONTHS AGO WE GOT WORD THAT THEY
WERE POTENTIALLY TRYING TO DROP
OUR
OUR
CONTRACT
CONTRACT AND BID OUT OUR SERVICES TO THE LOWEST BIDDER 3:24:59 PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES WOULD NOT BE
PROTECTED UNDER THAT
CIRCUMSTANCE ACCORDING TO A
STATEMENT FROM THE U.S. ARMY
INSTALLATION
INSTALLATION
MANAGEMENT COMMAND .... THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE "DOES NOT
RECEIVE PREDICTABLE OR
SUSTAINABLE FUNDING".... SO THEY "REGULARLY REVIEW"
CONTRACTS TO "ANALYZE RISK AND
IDENTIFY PRUDENT MEASURES"
DESIGNED TO "CREATE
EFFICIENCIES..." AND FORT KNOX
IS NO EXCEPTION.
3:52:33 WE'RE TALKING
OVERALL ACROSS THE BOARD A LOT
OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, A
LOT OF VETERANS THAT WORK FOR
THIS COMPANY COULD BE OUT OF A
JOB GCE SENT MORE THAN A
HUNDRED LETTERS LIKE THIS ONE.
ASKING THE WHAS11 FOCUS TEAM TO
INVESTIGATE..
INVESTIGATE.. AND SEEKING HELP FROM STATE LEADERS AND THE COMMUNITY.
3:27:22 WE ACTUALLY
HAD A COALITION PUT TOGETHER
THAT INCLUDED SOME STATE
SENATORS... SO THEY CAME TO OUR
AID AND WERE STICKING UP FOR US
HE BELIEVES GCE RALLIED UP
ENOUGH SUPPORT TO ULTIMATELY STOP THE ARMY FROM PURSUING
CHEAPER CONTRACTS...
3:27:42 THE LATEST
WORD THAT WE ARE GETTING IS THAT
THEY AREN'T LOOKING TO GET RID
OF OUR CONTRACT ANYMORE BUT THEY
ARE GOING TO CUT OUR SERVICES
DRAMATICALLY TO CONTINUE THAT COST SAVING EFFORT THAT MEANS
BUILDINGS FOLKS WOULD USUALLY
CLEAN TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK
WILL NOW ONLY BE SERVICED ONCE
A WEEK. THE STAFF THAT WOULD NORMALLY
COMPLETE
COMPLETE 450 SERVICES A WEEK.. NOW MAY ONLY DO 200. 3:32:28 WE GET PAID
PER SERVICE SO WITH LESS
SERVICES OBVIOUSLY MEANS LESS
INCOME WHICH MEANS LESS ABILITY
TO PAY AS MANY PEOPLE
3:48:58 I WORRY ABOUT IT, I THINK ABOUT IT, I'M SURE
EVERYBODY HERE IS WORRIED ABOUT
IT
IT
IT RICHARD STILL ROLLS THROUGH THE
VA HOSPITAL FIVE DAYS A WEEK ON
AN EVENING SWING SHIFT....
HIS HOURS - NOT AFFECTED .... YET.
2:40:48 A LOT OF
PEOPLE HERE INCLUDING MYSELF
BECAUSE I HAVE A DISABILITY
DEPEND ON THIS JOB FOR THEIR
LIVELIHOOD
IN A STATEMENT SENT TO FOCUS BY
THE U.S. ARMY - WE WERE TOLD
"SERVICE REDUCTIONS" ARE "NOT IDEAL," BUT ARE "NECESSARY TO
MITIGATE BUDGET SHORTFALLS."
3:58:25 WHY CAN'T WE
INVEST THAT MONEY IN PROGRAMS
THAT HELP PEOPLE HERE? PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES... VETERANS
CHUCK SAYS THEY'VE BEEN ASKED TO
SUBMIT A BID FOR NEXT YEAR'S
CONTRACT BASED ON THE REDUCED SERVICES, AS WELL. THE ARMY TOLD
FOCUS IN A STATEMENT - THAT "ANY
POTENTIAL CHANGE CONCERNING
CONTRACT STRUCTURE OR WHICH CONTRACT ENTITY MAY PERFORM THE
CUSTODIAL SERVICES CONTRACT AT
FORT KNOX IN THE FUTURE IS UNDER
REVIEW."
REVIEW."
REVIEW." 3:29:10 IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS GOING TO BE NOT A SHORT
TERM ANSWER TO THEIR FINANCIAL
PROBLEMS. THIS IS A LONG TERM VIEWPOINT THAT THEY'RE TAKING
BUT FOR NOW.... THEY'LL KEEP
WORKING...
AND LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GIVE
EMPLOYEES AS MANY HOURS AS
POSSIBLE.
RICHARD - WHO SERVED HIS COUNTRY
FOR 21 YEARS...
SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT HE MAINTAINS
HIS INDEPENDENCE...
HIS INDEPENDENCE... THIS JOB LET'S HIM DO THAT. 3:54:27 IF THE ARMY
DOES AWAY WITH THIS PROGRAM,
WHOSE GOING TO ACCEPT THESE
PEOPLE? WHO WOULD ACCEPT ME
THE ARMY TOLD ME
THAT
THAT 'ALTHOUGH CUSTODIAL SERVICES AT FORT KNOX HAS BEEN REDUCED," IT WILL NOT AFFECT
"PROPER SANITATION MEASURES OR
THE HEALTH OF ARMY PERSONNEL."
I'M ALSO TOLD THE ARMY IS "BOUND
TO THE TERMS OF ITS CURRENT
CONTRACTS" - AND COULD NOT "SPECULATE ON FUTURE CONTRACTING
ACTIVITY" BETWEEN THE U.S. ARMY
AND GCE. FOR FOCUS, I'M HF.
IF THERE'S AN ISSUE YOU'D LIKE
THE FOCUS
THE FOCUS
TEAM
TEAM TO
TEAM TO INVESTIGATE, SEND AN EMAIL TO "FOCUS AT WHAS11- DOT-COM."
DOT-COM."