Thursday, July 8, 2004 - Last night the Nassau West National Security Council voted overwhelmingly to terminate the labor agreement with a company in Phoenix, AZ, in favor of a more lucrative opportunity elsewhere.

Immediately following the decision, the Nassau West Department of Labor filed an injunction against this website which prohibits us from using the company's name for legal reasons.

The Department of Labor had requested more funding for Kelly Bartram from the company last month, and thus far has been denied. Originally, a wage had been discussed in November that was to go into effect after January. This all comes more than seven months after filling the position of terminal manager.

According to sources within the Nassau West Department of the Treasury, funding for the new Capitol will cease by the end of next month unless drastic steps are taken. The first payment was made, the second payment, which is a week late, is still pending. Funds for the current payment should be available today, and a check against those funds will be issued later today.

This weekend, the Department of Labor will begin the long, arduous process of sorting through new candidates for labor agreements. Although the Tucson job market will be surveyed, the DOL is focusing its main energy on the Cochise County (AZ) area. The jobs offered in this market tend to pay less than in major cities like Tucson and Phoenix, but the commute (and gas expenditure) is much less. With gas at nearly $2 per gallon in southern Arizona, the distance traveled may offset the lower wages.

The DOL has reported that so far in their preliminary search, the only jobs available in the Benson area are at a local hotel. These jobs are not likely to pay much more than minimum wage, which would be insufficient to meet the financial obligations already committed to. So the search will go on more extensively this weekend and into next week.

For the time being, the current agreement with the Phoenix company will be upheld until such time as a new agreement can be reached with another company, or the Phoenix company drastically raises the wages offered to Bartram in his current position.

Benson Weather