Laid-off Cargill workers get help finding a job

MILWAUKEE-- It's tough enough looking for work, even tougher if there's a language barrier. That's the challenge dozens of workers are facing who lost their jobs when the Cargill slaughter house closed down.



About 80 of the 500 workers who got laid off from Cargill in July, have a language barrier. They're immigrants from Somalia, Burma, Latin America, who have struggled to get back on their feet.



But two former Cargill Employees, who have been able to get a job, is Abdirzak Ahmed, from Somalia, and Maung Aye from Burma. They both speak English and recently got hired to serve as translators for The Hire Center in Milwaukee.





\"They have been instrumental... they are the key by which these (unemployed) individuals are communicating with the representatives from the Unemployment Insurance System,\" said Alba Baltonado, who manages The Hire Center on the North Side of Milwaukee.



The Hire Center, which is funded by the Department of Labor, connects unemployed individuals with the Unemployment Insurance system and trains them to obtain new opportunities.



\"It's to make a difference in their life and lives of their children... ultimately, these individuals are immigrants and they come here to make life better for themselves and their families,\" said Baltonado.



Although many of the laid-off workers are uncertain about what their future may hold, people like Ahmed are encouraging them to stay positive.



\"When you lose your job, don't give up, stand up again,\"said Ahmed.