August 24, 09

NEWS / U.S. Department of Labor certifies approximately 1,400 workers in 5 states as eligible to apply for

Workers in Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio and South Dakota covered

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 1,400 workers laid off from specific companies in five states — Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio and South Dakota — are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.

"American workers in many locations are being impacted by auto industry restructuring," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Trade Adjustment Assistance is one way to help laid-off individuals to re-build their lives and continue to support their families."

Workers covered by these latest Trade Adjustment Assistance certifications will be contacted by their respective states with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who apply may receive case management and re-employment services, training in new occupational skills and trade readjustment allowances that provide income support for workers enrolled in training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances, and the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

Workers 50 years of age and older may elect to receive Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). If a worker obtains new employment at wages less than $55,000 and less than those earned in adversely affected employment, the RTAA program will pay 50 percent of the difference between the old wage and the new wage, up to $12,000 over a two-year period. RTAA participants may also be eligible for retraining and the HCTC.

"The TAA certifications being announced today are evidence that workers in the auto industry are being hard hit throughout the country," said Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers. "The White House council will continue to work with Secretary Solis and other members of the administration to ensure communities and workers adversely impacted by the downturn in the auto industry receive needed assistance, while creating opportunities for growth and revitalization."

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ETA20091027.htm