Job Fair Draws Demonstrators

Days after new state unemployment data was released showing a worsening jobs picture in Illinois, Congresswoman Judy Biggert, R-13, aimed at connecting job seekers and area businesses.

The job fair, held Monday at the Romeoville Recreation Center, drew roughly 75 businesses that are currently hiring.

The event also drew a group of about a dozen protesters from political action group MoveOn.org. Urging Biggert to take action to create more jobs, the group held signs bearing slogans like “Save the American Dream.”

The protesters said they took issue with Biggert’s support of a that they believe focused too much on cuts while asking little of large corporations and wealthy Americans.

“We’re the voice of the average working person,” said Jackie Traynere, a Bolingbrook resident.

Their message, for Biggert, according to Traynere: “No more cuts,” she said. “She needs to be creating jobs. Corporations are not job creators.”

Traynere said Biggert spoke with the demonstrators before entering the job fair, and indicated she’s willing to meet with constituents one on one.

“There are a lot of people out here on a Monday with nothing better to do,” Traynere said, referring to the group gathered in front of the Romeoville Recreation Center. “That’s a bad sign.”

Last week, the Illinois Department of Employment Security released new data showing that the , with a total of 24,900 jobs lost in just one month.

Biggert’s job fair was the second employment event in Romeoville in the last week. On Thursday, Rasmussen College’s Joliet/Romeoville campus hosted its second career expo.