Idaho Offers Help for Supervalu Employees

BOISE -- State labor officials here said they are ready to help any of the 400 Idaho-based Supervalu employees who choose not to relocate to Minnesota when the company shifts 400 merchandising and marketing jobs to its corporate headquarters.

The state's Commerce and Labor department has scheduled four-hour job search workshops that will offer one-on-one job-search assistance, and local state offices have computers, printers, telephones, copy machines, fax services and access to area job fairs for affected employees.

As previously announced, Minneapolis-based Supervalu, which bought most of Albertsons Inc. in June, said it is moving some 400 merchandising and marketing jobs to Minneapolis over the next six to 18 months. About 2,100 Supervalu employees will stay in Boise for now.

Employees in the affected departments are being advised to remain in their jobs even if they plan to stay in Idaho rather than relocate, to preserve their eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, which cannot be paid to workers who voluntarily quit their jobs.

Unemployment benefits are available for up to 26 weeks. Employees dismissed during the rest of 2006 who choose to file for benefits this year will receive 57 percent of the weekly wage up to a maximum of $322 per week. Those dismissed in 2007 or those initially filing for benefits beginning the week of Jan. 7, 2007, will receive 58 percent of their weekly wage up to a maximum of $338 a week.

Those employees can also register for work, check local and statewide job listings, access career assessment tools and review various labor market and economic information from their home computers.
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