Coming clean
A popular — and persistent — tale has been spreading in Fayette that goes a little something like this: Local people aren’t being hired for Marcellus shale jobs because they can’t pass the pre-employment drug tests.
We’ve heard it in whispers and in casual conversation. We first heard it in a public forum when state Rep. Pete Daley, D-California, brought it up at a Fayette Chamber of Commerce event, and again during an interview with a candidate for last week’s primary election.
And too often, we’ve heard people pass it off as gospel, without so much as a thought to whether or not it is, you know, true.
Turns out, that’s exactly what it isn’t.
HeraldStandard.com reporter Steve Ferris did the legwork and checked with the industry, and what he found is that there’s no problem of local people not getting hired because they’re failing drug tests. In other words, he found the tale has no basis.
None.
Whatsoever.
This result really isn’t that surprising. When we pressed Daley on the issue when he made the claim a while back, he was quick to add that he hadn’t gotten the information from any official source. It was just something he had heard. It was hearsay. Pure rumor mill.
What is really a shame in this whole thing is not necessarily the misinformation — that sort of thing happens all the time — but what is truly disturbing is how quickly and how willingly Fayette County residents are willing to believe the worst about our area.
This is an example of how Fayette County residents can be their own worst enemy sometimes. If someone suggests something negative about our area or the people who live here, all too often, local residents are eager to agree. Which explains how this drug-test untruth continues to spread.
And another important fact came out of our contact with the industry: local people are being hired by the industry. This is incredibly important, because these local jobs need to go to local people — not guys transplanted in from Texas.
Of course, all is not perfect, as the picture for union workers is not nearly as rosy. We would hope that union members can start to find jobs and would hope that, if necessary, civic leaders and local politicians step in to make headway in that regard.
And as for the whole thought that our area can’t get out of its own way, it is our hope that we can put that to rest. We hope that Fayette Countians will start to give themselves and their neighbors more credit.
That’s not to say that we don’t have a drug problem here in Fayette County. We certainly do, and only a fool would say otherwise. But the drug users are far outnumbered by the good, hard-working residents trying to make a living for their families. These folks have way too much on the line to jeopardize things for the sake of getting high.
Yes, Fayette County does have its share of problems, but so does just about every other place in America. Overall, though, this is a great place to live and raise a family. We have many things to boast about, including most importantly our people.