Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Workers in demand
Labor shortage common theme, congresswoman says
There’s plenty of work to do at Morgan Truck Body, but simply not enough people to do it.
“I hired more than 100 people at this plant alone through the first half of this year, and if I had 100 people lined up outside right now I would hire them,” Michael Crane, president of the Caernarvon Township-based business, told congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan during a visit to the facility Thursday.
Houlahan said that’s a familiar refrain she’s heard over and over again lately.
As the Chester County Democrat who represents parts of Berks has embarked on tours of businesses of all sorts and sizes throughout her district, she has been told time and time again that there’s a desperate need for workers.
“Everyone is in the same boat
and I get it,” she said. “I understand that there is pressure on our business community because I have seen it, and I have been trying to figure out how to be most helpful in my position to speak to all the different parts of the puzzle right now.”
Houlahan has been using her experiences at businesses like Morgan Truck Body to see how local companies are faring as the economy gets rolling again following the devastation of the global COVID pandemic.
She said the visits allow her the opportunity to learn the challenges they face so she can take suggestions and solutions to Washington.
“It’s really important to get out there and listen to the stories,” she said. “The stories of real people — the stories of success and the stories of struggle. These are the things that I will take back with me.”
Crane said he believes hosting Houlahan gave her a better understanding of what those who work there do and what they need to be successful. The most pressing concern at the moment, he said, is the workforce shortage.
“This is what hits closest to home,” he told the congresswoman. “We think that the stimulus funds provided by the federal government is a disincentive for some people to get back to work.”
Houlahan said she has shared that concern with state officials in an effort to find creative ways to attract workers like reimbursing businesses that offer cash incentives to new hires.
But because the extended unemployment insurance is due to expire in September, she said there is some hesitancy to devise a program that may only be around for a few weeks.
“I think we’re doing our best at the federal and state level to try to navigate ourselves through unusual times,” she told Crane. “But I do genuinely think that we needed to send that help to people. I do genuinely think that it was a really important reaction to an unprecedented situation to be able to allow people the safety and security to make the best decision for their health.”
Crane said Morgan Truck Body is doing all it can on its own.
He said the company offers competitive wages, a top-notch benefits package, full health care coverage and training for those who lack the welding and painting skills needed to help design and build truck bodies. They’ve even instituted a $2,000 signing bonus for those willing to join the team.
Crane added that attracting workers had been getting increasingly more difficult before the pandemic struck. He said he would like to see more attention and support given to those who choose vocational training.
Houlahan said she’s a strong advocate for that as well. She told Crane that she’s been working hard to convince the communities she serves that vocational training is something that they need to be focused on.
She noted that she’s been pushing for a change that would allow students to use federal grants and scholarships for vocational training programs — a provision that is included in the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan that she’s backing.
“There has been this aspiration that all children should go to college, and I don’t think that’s necessarily how our economy works,” she said. “And I think this is something that we need to talk about more.”