DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-64,593

SONOCO
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS DIVISION
PITTSFIELD, MAINE

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 December 4, 2008 in
response to a petition filed a company official on behalf of
workers of Sonoco, Industrial Products Division, Pittsfield, Maine.
Workers of the Pittsfield, Maine facility produce paper mill cores.
This investigation revealed that employment at the Pittsfield,
Maine facility declined from in January to October 2008 when
compared with the same period in 2007 and that a significant
portion of workers are threatened with separation.
The investigation revealed that Sonoco, Industrial Products
Division, Pittsfield, Maine, supplies component parts for paper
products and a loss of business with manufacturers of paper
products whose workers were certified eligible to apply for
adjustment assistance contributed importantly to the separation or
threat of separation of workers at Sonoco, Industrial Products
Division, Pittsfield, Maine.
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 subject facilities 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 Sonoco, Industrial
Products Division, Pittsfield, Maine, 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 Sonoco, Industrial Products Division,
Pittsfield, Maine, who became totally or partially separated
from employment on or after December 3, 2007 through two years
from the date of certification 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 10th day of December 2008

/s/ Linda G. Poole

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