Commitment to veterans
Army National Guardsman and LA Aluminum Casting employee Dan Winters ladles aluminum from the Hayden company’s furnace. LA Aluminum was awarded the 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion gold level award by the U.S. Department of Labor for its commitment to hiring and retaining veterans. Photo by Gary Jackson
Dan Winters, who serves in the Army National Guard, sets cores in a mold within the LA Aluminum Casting Company's Hayden facility. LA Aluminum was awarded the 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion gold level award by the U.S. Department of Labor for its commitment to hiring and retaining veterans. (Photo by Gary Jackson)
By CRAIG NORTHRUP
Staff Writer
One of the most difficult challenges veterans face revolves around the pride and necessity that comes with gainful employment.
Those who served — and those who continue to serve — our country often struggle with the perils and pitfalls of maintaining a job when the Armed Forces commits the employee back into service.
“Veterans mean a lot to us,” Sarah Oswald, sales and marketing manager for LA Aluminum Casting, told The Press. “Veterans support America. Veterans are a dedicated workforce. We believe manufacturing is the heartbeat of America, and so do they. That’s why veterans are such a perfect fit with us.”
The U.S. Department of Labor agreed. On Thursday, the department awarded the Hayden company one of three 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion gold level awards nationwide for recruiting, employing and retaining veterans.
“The recipients of the 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion Awards demonstrated a commitment to hiring veterans and helping them to develop meaningful, long-term careers,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “From small-town businesses to Fortune 500 companies, these employers understand that veterans are uniquely qualified and dedicated employees who make significant contributions in the workplace.”
In 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) of 2017. In 2018, the department conducted a Program Demonstration and recognized 239 employers in anticipation of the official program’s launch in 2019. Recipients of the 2019 awards attested to meeting the rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages, availability of veteran-specific resources, leadership programming for veterans and dedicated human resource efforts, among other attributes.
“Hiring veterans as employees makes all the sense in the world,” Oswald said. “They’re very responsible. They’re reliable. They work very hard. They put their heart into what they’re doing. They’re very committed and dedicated.”
That dedication, she added, makes veterans a perfect fit to LA Aluminum Casting.
“Their dedication and commitment to manufacturing these products is invaluable,” she said. “Their eye for detail is always great, and their hands touch the things that make the world go around. Plus, they jump in and go right to work.”
Oswald added that hiring veterans can require occasional adjustments on the part of an employer, but the payoff makes the collaboration well worth the effort.
“It’s a commitment level on our part, to be sure,” she said. “It’s a consideration. But it’s nothing compared to the risk veterans take. They’re fighting for our country and putting their lives on the line. It’s the least we could do.”