University Daily Kansan, October 2, 1980
men's and this ended
um to cause tham-
Jobless rate low but painful
By LAN SIMPSON Staff Writer
"I figured on working to about November," said Granger, $41 E. 11th St. "Unemployment for about three or four months is what they tell me."
Bill Granger, 26, worked for eight years without being unemployed for more than a few days. Three weeks ago Granger, a Lawrence electrician, had been promoted to power maker Electric Ca of Gisela City, Kan., him off at a construction site Glathe.
According to Ed Miles, director of the Job Service Center, 833 Ohio St., about 25 percent of the more than 7,000 persons who look for work through the center apply for unemployment insurance.
LAST THURSDAY, Granger filed for state unemployment insurance for the first time. He joined the 1,500 employee group of employers applied to be in this year's calf.
Kansas is an island of employment in a national sea of idle workers. The nation's unemployment rate in August was 7.5 percent; the state had 4.4 percent of its work force idle, according Department of Human Resources.
Douglas County had an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in August, and Mills said the figure would decline to 3.8 percent by therence's labor force returned to school.
"We've had pretty steady employment here but there are always seasonal adjustments." he said.
Mills said about 1,400 people were now looking for work in Lawrence. For some of them unemployment is unexpected, concern with security and tedium.
"There are only so many things you can think of to do in one day," he said. "You can do the wash, you can do the dishes, dust, have the house looking tidy, and even taking your time doing it, you've used up maybe five hours.
"You get awful bored sitting around the house," said John Vickers, 34, 2200 Harper. "We do not quit his job as a police officer at Stokley Studios after a shooting accident in February.
"Then what do you do? Sit around and suck your thumb? You start wanting to get back to work. It doesn't take very long."
GRANGER SAID, "If I don't have any bills, it'll be all right. I'm kind of enjoying it right now. I've been working eight years and never had any time off."
"Probably another month and I'll be ready to work."
Perk Foods of Kansas City, Kan, laid off Jeff Dodd, 50, Oskalaisa, with one week's notice after 15 years as an equipment operator.
“It’s not very much when you have a wife and kids,” he said. “If I don’t have any luck in Lawrence I’m going back to Kansas City.”
He received about $90 a week in unemployment insurance, Dodd said.
Robert W. Doors, a claims examiner for Job Service for five years, said most of the claims were caused by
"They are in a spot; they are unemployed; inflation is not a simple matter," he said. "Some of them are embarrassed to come in here.
"We have some people thinking unemployment is akin to welfare, when it's not. It's insurance against unemployment."
Mills said the Lawrence economy was relatively insulated against widespread unemployment because of
About 8,300, or 30 percent, of Douglas County's non-farm workers are employed by local, state or federal governments. Of them, 7,700 work for the University of Kansas, making it the largest employer in the Department of Human Resources, 5,700 people are engaged in manufacturing.
the large number of government its diversity in manufacturing.
DESPITE THE comparatively low unemployment in the area, some Job Service employees said the job outlook was not promising.
"The job situation is tight, tight in terms of meaningful jobs. There are a lot of mediocre jobs, minimum wage jobs," said John Aureli, a part-time veterans' aide at the Center. "It's an employers' market, because they can get a higher caliber of employee and payless."
Steve Dick, a veterans' aide, said, "The student population just keeps the market flooded with people. You'd think the Lawrence area would be a rich market, but so many of the jobs around here are minimum wage jobs."
Some workers said they would not take jobs that paid the minimum wage because they thought it was not worth the effort.
Dan Roberts, 26, 1129 Oregon, St., a machinist, said, "There are plenty of $3-an-hour jobs. It's hard to on it; there is no incentive. If you are going to have someone for 40 hours a week and then give them a better just to be on unemployment."
One 25-year-old salesman, who requested not to be identified, said, "I couldn't live off that with expenses. I should make the payments on my house."
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Octoginta weekend planned by bike club
Eagan-Barrand Retail Liquor
Located behind Hardee's and next to Safeway.
A New Concept That's Long Overdue
The Mt. Oread Bicycle Club has planned a weekend of bicycling activities, including a leisurely moon-lit ride Friday night, a two-man team trial Saturday morning and the big one, the Octoginta.
The Octoginta, an 80-mile ride,
will start at 8 a.m. Sunday at South
Park, 11th and Massachusetts
streets.
Bikers will travel to Thompsonville, northwest of Lawrence, then to Perry Lake for lunch. They will return to South Park by the same route.
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The route is hilly, but there are some flat roads for recovery, said Stan Pittman, touring chairman.
MAPS AND A SAG vehicle carrying water and fruit will be available for stranded cyclists. A sag vehicle is a van that bicyclists can flag down if they have trouble with their bikes during the ride.
The Octoginta ride was started 11 years ago by a group of bicycle riders who went on a scenic bike tour.
Because Lawrence is so hilly, the bicyclists thought 80 miles was enough. Octoginta means 80 in Latin.
It was dubbed Octoginta because most bicycle clubs have centennial rides (100 miles) during this time of year.
829 Massachusetts
Other events have been added since then to fill the whole weekend.
"This is a good chance for living groups to compete in a structured bike activity," said Tom Pensabene, Mt. Oread club member.
The moonlight ride Friday night is a 15-mile ride out to Lakeview, an area just outside Lawrence. The starting time is 9 p.m.
The second ride of the weekend will be a scenic tour of historic Lawrence and KU. Riders will leave South Park on a tour that will focus on the history of the city, 19th and 20th century buildings. The trio will be approximately 20 miles.
The only competition of the weekend is the two-man team trial at Wakarusa School in Wakarusa, southeast of Lawrence.
Each member of the team will be timed on a ten-mile flat course near the school.
At each point there is a marker for the rider to find. Each marker is coded, and once a marker is found, the rider can move until he reaches the end of the course.
THIS IS THE first year the team trial event has been held.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, the bicycle orienter meet is scheduled
In orienteering, a bicyclist is given a map with control points marked by small circles.
Participants can register at the starting line of the events or in the SUA office in the Kansas Union by Friday.
842-3059
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MEKONG
Simpson rips nuclear power
Sipson is challenging Republican Sen. Bob Dole.
In yet another attempt to gain student support for a struggling campaign. U.S. Senate candidate John Simpson told a group of 20 KU law students yesterday that he was against the further issuance of nuclear power plant permits.
"Nuclear power just won't work. Conservation is the key," Simpson said. "We can't rely on oil and I don't think most people understand that. We have to promote safe uses of coal, conservation and alternative sources of energy, such as alcohol and solar energy," he said.
"At least 40 to 50 percent of the energy we use is wasted because of things like poor insulation in buildings or cars, in non-faced efficient cars," he said.
Watching Your Weight?
Simpson said the United States needed to make more efficient automobiles, invest more in rail transportation, and design tax policies of induce companies to be more energy efficient.
Hillcrest MedicalCenter
ROLLERBALL
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3140 Wescoe
Presents
Friday, Oct. 3
5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4
6:00, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m
Sunday, Oct. 5
5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
1980 Homecoming Concert
Tickets on sale Thurs., Oct. 2, 9:00 a.m.
Kansas Union Lobby
$6.50 and $7.50 with KUID (one ticket per I.D.) $7.00 and $8.00—general admission