Lawsuit settlement secures Job Corps future nationwide

The future of Job Corps, including the site in Chautauqua County, appears to be secure going forward.

In a settlement agreement filed Monday, Aug.10 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Cabrera v. Department of Labor, the Trump administration agreed to rescind its efforts to shutter 99 Job Corps centers nationwide.

On May 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it was "pausing Job Corps Center operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide," which included the Cassadaga Job Corps, which sits on Glasgow Road just outside the village.

Following that announcement, there were a number of lawsuits filed, including Cabrera v. Department of Labor.

Less than a week later, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order which ordered the government not to terminate Job Corps contractors or stop work at Job Corps centers until a further ruling in the case.

Later, the district court granted a motion to stay the Department of Labor's directive to close all privately operated Job Corps centers, finding that the directive likely violated provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Some local officials, including County Executive PJ Wendel, expressed support for the program. The Chautauqua County Legislature also passed a motion in support of Job Corps.

There was also a rally held in Stockton.

On a federal level, both New York senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand expressed their commitment to the program.

In August, 2025 Schumer came to Chautauqua County where he met with some current and former Job Corps students and staff.

Then in February, Schumer announced he successfully preserved funding for Job Corps centers to remain open.

But that didn't guarantee Job Corps would remain in the future, so the lawsuits continued.

According to the Aug. 10 court documents, the Department of Labor has agreed to "fully and unconditionally rescind its May 29, 2025 'pause in contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide,' as well as all Termination Notices, and take no further action to terminate Job Corps operations contracts based on or pursuant to the Termination Notices."

According to its website, Job Corps was created on August 20, 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act as part of his “War on Poverty.” Modeled after the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps, the federal program was designed to give low-income young adults (ages 16 to 24) free housing, education, and vocational job training.

The Cassadaga Job Corps opened in August, 1978. It offers training in carpentry, electrical, painting, plumbing, certified nursing assistant, advanced training licensed practical nurse and security officer/guard certification.