Thousands of laid-off workers inundate job fair in Las Vegas

Mathis Winkler

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

Looking to fill between 20 and 50 job openings, Budget Suites recruiter Mike Shields brought 400 job applications to Tuesday's job fair for laid-off workers at Texas Station.

They were gone within an hour, and Shields called his office to ask staff members bring extra copies.

As is the case with 70 other employers represented at the fair, Shields was overwhelmed by the number of people seeking work.

Altogether, more than 5,000 people visited the event, which was organized and sponsored by The Employment Guide, a weekly recruitment newspaper, KLAS-TV Channel 8, and Station Casinos to help people who lost their jobs as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks.

By noon, recruiters for Coca-Cola Co. had received 800 applications for 13 job openings, Bank of America representatives had accepted 250 resumes for about 50 positions and Las Vegas detention and correction officers had collected applications from hundreds of people for 50 jobs.

Recruiters for Wildfire Casino, which is scheduled to open Dec. 27 on Rancho Drive down the road from Texas Station, said they handed out 1,500 applications for 100 openings.

"It's been crazy," said Buffy McKinney, adding that casino officials plan to start interviewing people in early December. "Everyone seems so excited to be here, but it's really a travesty."

Many of those waiting in line to enter the room, in which employer booths were located, said they were desperate to return to work.

"At this point I will stock shelves at Target or Wal-Mart," said Charlynn Cipriani, 59, who lost her job as a buffet hostess at Aladdin on Sept. 20.

"I will do anything," she said.

Debbie Freeman, 46, who lost her job at Dollar Rent A Car on Oct. 25, said she was worried about getting work at her age.

"They say they don't discriminate, but they really do," she said, adding that she is hoping to find a job doing clerical or administrative work. "It scares me, it really does."

Melissa Titlow, 35, won't lose her job as a change girl at the El Cortez until the end of the month, but said things would be difficult if she were to become unemployed.

"I'm a single mother with two children, and I need a job," Titlow said while standing in line at the Station Casinos booth, where recruiters were handing out phone numbers to a job hotline.

"I'm not going to wait for them to lay me off," she said. "I've got to have a job."

Many people sat around tables in adjacent rooms filling out job applications or attending workshops on resume writing, and some walked away with immediate job offers.

"This has helped, big time," said Luke Stella, 36, who was on his way to a company that sells phone service. "They gave me a guy's phone number and address and said I should have no problem starting out today."

Stella was among several hundred people who received immediate offers, said fair organizers. Other recruiters asked people to leave resumes or fill out applications for interviews at a later date.

Many said visiting the fair had been worth their time even though they may not get a job right away.

"You might as well kick yourself if you're not out there looking," said Alise Armstead, 40, who lost her job as a maid at the Tropicana about a month ago.

"At least you're trying," she said, adding that she's looking for clerical work. "Maybe something will turn up."

Because of the high turnout, fair organizers said they will meet in the next few days to discuss repeating the event in the near future.