TK Jobs Up For Grabs

In a line that wraps around the parking lot of the MOWA Choctaw Indian tribal office, there were plenty of people out of work.

"I lost my job last week," said Sarah Martin who got a pink slip after 25 years on the job. Martin was among hundreds of people applying to work at Thyssenkrupp at a job fair Wednesday.

Bill Dortch, who waited an hour and a half to shake a hand at the job fair, says he had put in more than 33 years at his job before he was laid off last July. "I was a plant manager for a company. Thought we had some job security," he said.

Thyssenkrupp plans to hire more than 1,000 new workers in the next year, and another thousand after that. But, already they've received more than 50,000 applications.

"I wouldn't let that number discourage anyone who hasn't applied," said Scott Posey, a spokesperson for the steel giant. "If anyone of us had said I'm not going to apply because I'm sure a lot of other people had applied, none of us would be working there right now."

Company officials insist waiting in line at the job fairs is not waste of time. Of the 700 employees currently working at Thyssenkrupp, one-third were hired from job fairs.

Near the back of the line at Wednesday's fair we found Sharon Wesley, who lost her job last month on her birthday.

"I'm willing to stay out here for hours," she said.

Thyssenkrupp also takes applications online. You can apply at www.aidt.edu and click on the Thyssenkrupp link.