The Newly Unemployed from Treasure Island Offered Help

Alderman Leslie Hairston hosted an emotional Community Meeting last night, at which the most important consequences of the closing of Treasure Island Foods in Hyde Park, were discussed.

Now-unemployed staff of out-of-business Treasure Island Foods, received invitations from heads of these four local businesses last night, to apply for job vacancies at each business. This was part of the Alderman's community meeting at the Catholic Theological Union at 5416 S Cornell Avenue:
- Hyde Park Foods
- Mac Apartments
- Aramark at the UChicago Business School
- Yelp
In addition, local and city resources for employment-seekers were described, by an employee of the City. A list of agencies helping people find jobs, is at the end of this article.

An additional lawsuit --this is the third lawsuit -- against the owners of Treasure Island Foods is now being prepared, on behalf of the non-unionized staff of all six metropolitan Chicago Treasure Island stores. Attorney Karen I. Engelhardt (kie@ask-attorneys.com) spoke last night, and is compiling a list of all of the employees of Treasure Island who wish to be part of this Class Action lawsuit. The lawsuit will demand the 60-days pay that Federal and State laws mandate for employers of more than 75 people when they go out of business with no notice. Attorney Engelhardt can be reached by email if any Treasure Island employee from any of its six closed stores wants to be added to this Class Action lawsuit.

After Attorney Engelhardt spoke, the University of Chicago's new Vice President for Real Estate Operations, Angie Marks,who began work only five weeks ago, spoke. Highlights she shared include these:

- Since UChicago is the landlord of the now-vacant 50,000 square-foot supermarket-space at the Hyde Park Shopping Center, it will be the U of C which selects a new supermarket for this space. Ms. Marks said that about 10 supermarket chains have expressed interest in placing one of their stores in this space. Ms. Marks expressed caution in anticipating an operating supermarket for this space, prior to "several months" of time.
- In answer to a question from me, Ms. Marks said that some of the 10 chains had contacted her, in addition to those chains that Ms. Marks had contacted herself. It was suggested from an audience member that an online poll be conducted by the University to hear the preferences for which supermarket is the first choice of the community for this vacant supermarket-space.
- It was indicated to me by a private business executive attending the meeting, that the U of C has not expressed the least inclination -- perhaps ever -- to sell The Hyde Park Shopping Center to anyone. The University of Chicago has owned the Hyde Park Shopping Center since this shopping center was built in 1960. The implication of that disinclination-to-sell, would be that the Hyde Park Shopping Center has made a significant profit for the University over the years and to this day.

Suggestions from the audience included one well-received new suggestion that the University needs to invite farmers markets and street food trucks onto the grounds of the Hyde Park Shopping Center. The University has indicated it may work on this, starting Monday of next week.

Compared to the questions from the now-unemployed, there were not nearly as many questions about the disabled and elderly having difficulty doing the food shopping that they previously did only a block or so away from Treasure Island. I will report later on resources that are available to the disabled and elderly and others who are experiencing the most difficulty doing their food shopping now.

Wendy Williams of UChicago spoke about her efforts to make sure the University is sharing information with residents of Hyde Park: For one of the first times ever, highlights of University business decisions -- traditionally not-shared until decisions are permanently made -- will be regularly updated and shared at the pre-existing '53rd Street Blog', which is at https://voices.uchicago.edu/fiftythird/

Finally, here is the list from that blog, of some places that the employees of now out-of-business Treasure Island can go to for help finding a new job:

Adult Employment Resources
Bright Star Community Outreach
(773) 952-7643
4518 S. Cottage Grove Avenue

Cara Chicago, South Side Campus
(773) 924-2205
4655 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Cara Connects, Staffing Agency
(312) 798-3330
237 S. Desplaines Avenue

Centers for New Horizons Programs
(773) 373-5700
4150 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Chicago Urban League
(773) 451-3573
4510 S. Michigan Avenue

Hope Works
(312) 709-1391
6414 S. Cottage Grove Avenue

Woodlawn Resource Center
(773) 451-8077
6144 S. Cottage Grove Avenue

YMCA – Woodlawn
(773) 947-0700
6330 S. Stony Island Avenue