When is the addition of hundreds of jobs not welcome to a community?
For some, apparently, that happens when the jobs result from a federal program they don’t like, especially one from the Obama administration.
Formal announcement of the jobs hasn’t come from the company yet and state spokesmen have said the project is ongoing and they can’t talk about it.
Here’s hoping the deal is done, however, and that the sour reaction from a few doesn’t impede the addition of all these jobs for Northwest Arkansas.
Seriously, you might have expected pure jubilation that Rogers has been selected to serve as a national hub for anything.
But Serco Inc. will provide a call center and will sort insurance applications related to the implementation of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it has been called (and embraced by the Obama administration).
They’re talking about at least 600 jobs, possibly 800 to 1,000 by October, when the hub is to be operational, according to news reports.
That’s “huge,” as Rogers Mayor Greg Hines rightly said Wednesday, noting that Serco will breath new life into what has been a vacant building in Rogers. Sercohas leased roughly 150,000 square feet of the building and has an option to least the rest.
“Job announcements of this size are few and far between,” said Mike Malone, president of the Northwest Arkansas Council, the group of business and government leaders who follow such developments closely in the region.
Those are the kinds of reactions you should get when talking about so many new jobs for a community.
But the news also brought these thoughts from state senators representing Rogers:
“We’re just growing government,” said Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, suggesting the good news for those people getting the jobs is bad news for people paying taxes.
“We need to remember that this is a federal contract and once the contract has been fulfilled, these jobs are going away,” said Sen.
Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, who also emphasized that U.S. taxpayers are paying for the jobs, contributing to thenational debt.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, also couched his “welcome” in anti-Obamacare language, saying the Affordable Care Act hurts both our health care system and our economy.
“If we are going to be forced to live with this law, I am glad Serco recognized the value of doing business in Arkansas and is helping offset the ACA’s impact in the Third District by bringing their new service center … to Rogers, and I welcome them to Arkansas.”
The good news is none of these people, all of whom opposed Obamacare, were hypocrites in their reactions.
It’s what they believe.
Rogers, this community they all represent, will enjoy signifi cant benefi t from having these jobs, even if temporarily; but the representatives’ obviously think they’re serving their constituents better by opposing Obamacare.
For the record, there are probably others out there who agree with them. They might do well to follow the advice their mothers gave, “If you don’t have anything good to say, say nothing at all.”
Serco, with domestic operations headquartered in Reston, Va., is a British company. Serco won the federal contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to supportthe federally facilitated marketplace and state-based marketplaces being created under Obamacare.
It is a huge contract and Serco chose Rogers for a hub. The company announced earlier this month that the total potential of the one-year contract, with four more one-year options, is about $1.25 billion.
Serco employees, including the 600 to 1,000 to be hired in Rogers, will intake applications, review documentation to ensure authenticity, identify any potential issues with applications and notify consumers of any issues or missing documentation.
There is no information yet on the possible payroll but applications are already being accepted online at serco-na.com. At least some Rogers workers are already benefiting, repairing the building’s roof and making other preparations for Serco’s move to Rogers.
Five years down the line, if these Obamacare-related jobs go away, the community may be ready to absorb this workforce into other jobs.
It is all economic development and these federally supplied jobs are good for Northwest Arkansas. Some of us really do welcome them.
BRENDA BLAGG IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST AND LONGTIME JOURNALIST IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Opinion, Pages 7 on 07/14/2013