10
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2004
Workers face tail end
of Pillowtex benefits
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE The unemploy
ment rate in Cabarrus County, hit
hard by textile shutdowns, is lower
than it has been in three years. But
that's no cause for celebration.
Local officials said the change
reflects not a reviving economy,
but the fact that unemployment
benefits are finally running out for
former workers at Pillowtex, which
shut down for good in the summer
of 2003.
The county’s unemployment rate
dropped to 4.6 percent in October,
according to numbers released
by the state last week. That is
the same as the overall state rate
and the lowest in Cabarrus since
September 2001.
Pillowtex employed about 3,650
of its 4,800 North Carolina work
ers in Cabarrus County, making
sheets and towels. Unemployment
reached 11 percent in the county
after the company went out of busi
ness in July 2003.
Carolyn Mays, who runs the state
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Employment Security Commission
office in the county, said Pillowtex
workers no longer are included in
the statistical count of the unem
ployed because they are not receiv
ing benefits.
Unemployment benefits can
last a year or more, depending
on whether a person returns to
school for retraining. They began
running out for some former
Pillowtex employees during the
summer and will end for hun
dreds more by the end of January,
Mays said.
She said hiring has been slow in
the county; available service-sec
tor jobs tend to pay in the range
of $8 to $8.50 per hour, compared
to jobs at Pillowtex that averaged
$11.60 per hour.
Michael Walden, an economist
at North Carolina State University,
said the latest state data shows
the overall size of the Cabarrus
labor force the people who are
employed, plus those listed as
unemployed is shrinking.
N.C. loses business ranking
State slips to No. 5 in annual survey
BY ANH LY
STAFF WRITER
North Carolina was toppled
from its top spot of having the best
business climate this year, and
some legislators say it’s because
the state is investing money in the
wrong places.
For three years, North Carolina
ranked No. 1 as the “best place
to do business” in Site Selection
magazine.
But the latest survey conducted
by the business recruiting maga
zine says Corporate America is
looking at Texas this year as its top
choice to do business.
The ranking partly is based on
a survey in which corporate execu
tives were asked to rank states
according to the ease of doing busi
ness, costs, incentives and other
factors.
The other part of the ranking
process is based on business expan
sion activity, according to Conway
Data’s New Plant database, which
News
tracks business developments in
each state.
In 2003, Texas established a
$295 million fund to lure proj
ects to the state. Since then, it has
attracted big-name companies
such as Sematech, Home Depot,
Citgo and Koyo Steering.
The fund also allocates money
to engineering and computer sci
ence programs at the University
of Texas-Dallas and facilities
such as the Center for Advanced
Diagnostic Imaging in Houston.
This flurry of economic activity
has secured Texas as the No. 1 place
to do business. North Carolina fell
to No. 5 behind New York, Illinois
and Georgia.
But Rep. David Miner, R-Wake,
said the recent $242 million agree
ment with Dell USA to build a
plant in the Triad area is a “better
taking of the temperature.”
Bureau aims to prevent
uninformed donations
Scammers corral
fraudulent cash
BY JON WEINER
STAFF WRITER
Although the holidays are about
giving, for scam artists, the season
is about taking what they can get.
“This is the busiest time of year
for most charities,” said Bennett
Weiner, chief operating officer of
the Better Business Bureau’s Wise
Giving Alliance. “Unfortunately,
there are some that seek to take
advantage of this.”
The 888 of Eastern North
Carolina is warning people to make
sure a charily is legitimate before
donating money.
Beverly Baskin, 888 president
for eastern North Carolina, said
people should be particularly aware
of those appeals based on emotion
and low on actual facts.
“Many charitable appeals give no
information about what the money
goes to,” she said. “This is a red flag
people can look for.”
Weiner said individuals can
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Asa result of the decision,
announced in early November,
more than 1,500 workers will be
employed during the next five
years.
Corporations consider a num
ber of factors when deciding where
to locate. Greg Brown, professor
of finance at the Kenan-Flagler
Business School, said North
Carolina consistently ranks high
because of the cheap and reliable
workforce.
“The cost of living and cost of
labor is low, which is an advantage
for North Carolina,” Brown said.
“(The state) is a desirable place to
live.” N
But Rep. Elbe Kinnaird, D-
Orange, said it’s education that
lures businesses to the state, and
by approving hefty incentives
packages, legislators are putting
money in the wrong place.
“Government handouts are
flawed and manipulate the sys
tem,” she said. “They advise corpo
investigate the legitimacy of nation
al organizations on the alliance’s
Web site at http://www.give.org,
which indexes the top 300 national
charities for easy research.
If the charity claims to be a local
group, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
Chamber of Commerce might be the
best resource for authentication.
“If they’re members of the cham
ber, then we can let people know
that they are in good standing and
can be trusted,” said Virginia Knapp,
associate director of the chamber.
Baskin said false solicitations can
be performed through almost any
type of communication. “(Scams)
can come in any form, through the
mail, over the phone, the Internet
or to your door.”
She added that when people are
approached in person or by phone,
they often might feel more pressure
to make a quick decision than if the
solicitation comes via mail or the
Internet.
“Don’t succumb to emotional
pressure,” Baskin said.
The 888 receives many com
plaints about “sound-alike” chari
ties, those that change the name of
ahp Daily (Tor Hppl
rations to use the system to their
advantage.”
Kinnaird said the money should
go toward education. “The $242
million to Dell would have solved
our education problems.”
Brown said the ideal place to
locate really depends on the com
pany.
For Dell, the education system
and proximity to a large and grow
ing base of Dell customers werd
important factors in its decision
to expand into the state, Chief
Executive Officer Kevin Rollins
stated in a press release.
Despite the drop in rank, many
legislators don’i see it as a reflec
tion of the economy.
“Rankings at times are subjec
tive,” Miner said. “Sometimes the
criteria used may not always tell
the whole story. We can’t always
be number one.”
Contact the State & National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
a reputable organization slightly to
confuse people into giving, Baskin
said.
“Don’t be forced to give on the
spot,” she warns. “Legitimate chari
ties will be more than happy to take
your money tomorrow. You don’t
have to give today.”
Lt. Jim Phillips of the Carrboro
Police Department said scams
affecting the local area have not
been a problem in recent years.
“As far as any actual scams in our
area, we have not had one,” he said.
If anything does happen, Knapp
said, the chamber will be among
the first to know.
“We have a business alert net
work set up with the police depart
ment that goes out immediately to
us and our members,” she said.
Although there are potential
hazards from scams, Weiner still
urges people to give to worthy
causes during the holidays.
“Problems are a possibility, but
people should not use this as an
excuse not to give.”
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.
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