DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-54,404

PLAINS COTTON COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
MISSION VALLEY FABRICS DIVISION
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS

Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility to
Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance and
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance

In accordance with Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19
USC 2273) the Department of Labor issued a Certification of
Eligibility to Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance and
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance on April 6, 2004,
applicable to workers of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association,
New Braunfels, Texas. The notice was published in the Federal
Register on November 28, 2003 (68 FR 66879).
At the request of the State agency, the Department reviewed
the certification for workers of the subject firm. The workers
are engaged in the production of denim fabric..
New findings show that there was a previous certification,
TA-W-39,539, issued on January 15, 2002, for workers of Mission
Valley Fabrics, New Braunfels, Texas who were engaged in
employment related to the production of denim fabric. That
certification expired on January 15, 2004. To avoid an overlap
in worker group coverage, the certification is being amended to
change the impact date from February 25, 2003 to January 16,
2004, for workers of the subject firm.
The certification was amended on February 4, 2002 to show
that workers wages were reported under a separate unemployment
insurance (UI) tax account for Plains Cotton Cooperative
Association.
The amended notice applicable to TA-W-54,404 is hereby
issued as follows:
"All workers of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association,
Mission Valley Fabrics Division, New Braunfels, Texas, who
became totally or partially separated from employment on or
after January 16, 2004, through April 6, 2006, are eligible
to apply for adjustment assistance under Section 223 of the
Trade Act of 1974, and are also eligible to apply for
alternative trade adjustment assistance under Section 246 of
the Trade Act of 1974.”

Signed at Washington, D.C. this 29th day of April 2004.

/s/ Elliott S. Kushner
____________________________
ELLIOTT S. KUSHNER
Certifying Officer, Division of
Trade Adjustment Assistance


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-54,404

PLAINS COTTON COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS

Certification Regarding Eligibility
To Apply For Worker Adjustment Assistance and
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance

In accordance with Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 USC
2273), as amended, the Department of Labor herein presents the
results of an investigation regarding certification of eligibility
to apply for worker adjustment assistance as a secondarily affected
worker group.
In order to make an affirmative determination and issue a
certification of eligibility for secondary workers to apply for
Trade Adjustment Assistance, the group eligibility requirements of
paragraph (b) of Section 222 of the Trade Act, as amended, must be
met. It is determined in this case that the requirements of (b) of
Section 222, as amended, have been met.
The investigation was initiated on March 2, 2004 in response
to a petition filed by a company official on behalf of workers at
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, New Braunfels, Texas. The
workers at the subject firm produced denim fabric.
The investigation revealed that production and employment at
the subject firm decreased during the relevant period.
The investigation also revealed that the subject firm supplied
fabric to a manufacturer whose workers were recently certified
eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance. A loss of
business with this manufacturer contributed importantly to worker
separations or threat of separation.
In accordance with Section 246 the Trade Act of 1974 (26 USC
2813), as amended, the Department of Labor herein presents the
results of its investigation regarding certification of
eligibility to apply for alternative trade adjustment assistance
(ATAA) for older workers.
In order for the Department to issue a certification of
eligibility to apply for ATAA, the group eligibility requirements
of Section 246 of the Trade Act must be met. The Department has
determined in this case that the requirements of Section 246 have
been met.
A significant number of workers at the firm are age 50 or over
and possess skills that are not easily transferable. Competitive
conditions within the industry are adverse.


Conclusion
After careful review of the facts obtained in the
investigation, I determine that workers of Plains Cotton
Cooperative Association, New Braunfels, Texas qualify as adversely
affected secondary workers under Section 222 of the Trade Act of
1974, as amended. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, I
make the following certification:
"All workers of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, New
Braunfels, Texas who became totally or partially separated
from employment on or after February 25, 2003 through two
years from the date of certification are eligible to apply for
adjustment assistance under Section 223, and alternative trade
adjustment assistance under Section 246 of the Trade Act of
1974."
Signed in Washington, D. C., this 6th day of April, 2004.

/s/ Elliott S. Kushner

______________________________
ELLIOTT S. KUSHNER
Certifying Officer, Division of
Trade Adjustment Assistance