DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
TA-W-55,417

ABBOTT LABORATORIES, INC.
MEDISENSE PRODUCTS
CUSTOMER CARE ORGANIZATION
BEDFORD, MASSACHUSSETTS

Negative Determination Regarding Eligibility
To Apply For Worker Adjustment Assistance
And Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance

In accordance with Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974, as
amended (19 USC 2273), the Department of Labor herein presents the
results of an investigation regarding certification of eligibility
to apply for worker adjustment assistance.
The investigation was initiated on August 11, 2004 in response
to a petition filed on behalf of workers of Abbott Laboratories,
Inc., MediSense Products, Customer Care Organization, Bedford,
Massachusetts. The workers provided customer service by answering
customers' questions and providing technical and product-related
information to customers by telephone.
In order to be considered eligible to apply for adjustment
assistance under Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974, the worker
group seeking certification (or on whose behalf certification is
being sought) must work for a "firm" or appropriate subdivision
that produces an article domestically and there must be a
relationship between the workers' work and the article produced by
the workers' firm or appropriate subdivision. The investigation
revealed that although production of an article(s) occurred within
the firm or appropriate subdivision, the customer service workers
described above do not support this production. Thus the worker
group can not be considered import impacted or affected by a shift
in production of an article.
The customer service representatives of this investigation are
solely in support of outside consumers; they are not in support of
any production workers engaged in the manufacturing of diabetes
testing equipment.
In addition, 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 worker group must be certified
eligible to apply for trade adjustment assistance (TAA). Since the
workers are denied eligibility to apply for TAA, the workers cannot
be certified eligible for ATAA.


Conclusion
After careful review, I determine that all workers of Abbott
Laboratories, Inc., MediSense Products, Customer Care Organization,
Bedford, Massachusetts are denied eligibility to apply for
adjustment assistance under Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974,
and are also denied eligibility to apply for alternative trade
adjustment assistance under Section 246 of the Trade Act of 1974.
Signed in Washington, D. C. this 31st day of August 2004

/s/ Linda G. Poole

_______________________________
LINDA G. POOLE
Certifying Officer, Division of
Trade Adjustment Assistance