TVIP Chairman Reaches Out to Put Veterans to Work

Teamster Leader Shares Employment Initiatives With Volunteers of America

Championing job creation for veterans in the union, the Chairman of Teamsters Volunteers in Politics joined Volunteers of America this month in support of our nation’s returning servicemen and women.

At Chicago’s Union League Club, Michael Yauger, the Teamsters’ national Helmets to Hardhats coordinator and Teamsters Local 786 President, offered his labor experience to address economic opportunities for veterans. State legislators, military leaders and labor supporters were on-hand as representatives from Volunteers of America of Illinois presented a sobering account of the challenges facing Vietnam-era veterans and soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Illinois is home to approximately 900,000 veterans and more than 1,000 of those veterans living in Chicago can experience homelessness on any given night,” said Yauger, a Vietnam veteran. “As members of America’s strongest labor union, we have a responsibility to not only offer these brave men and women job opportunities, but to show them the power of Teamster opportunities.”

Following the presentation, Yauger was joined on a veterans panel by Lt. Col. Jack Amberg of the U.S. Army, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Dan Grant and other dignitaries. Job creation initiatives were considered as the panel encouraged Illinois business leaders in attendance to generate new opportunities for veterans within their respective companies.

Leading by example, Yauger submitted the Teamsters’ successful partnership with Helmets to Hardhats, the national program that assists military men and women in finding gainful employment in the construction trades. Since building a national collaboration with Helmets to Hardhats, the Teamsters have placed more than 39,000 veterans in good-paying union jobs.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 continues to host annual job fairs for veterans and union members, connecting union businesses with thousands of workers throughout Illinois.

Teamsters interested in learning more about Volunteers of America of Illinois and its resources for veterans can go online.

For more information about Teamsters Helmets to Hardhats, click here.

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