DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-72,953

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
BRONZE DIVISION
KINGWOOD, WEST VIRGINIA

Notice of Negative Determination
on Reconsideration

On January 28, 2011, the Department of Labor issued an
Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration
for workers and former workers of Matthews International
Corporation, Bronze Division, Kingwood, West Virginia (subject
firm). The Department’s Notice of determination was published in
the Federal Register on February 10, 2011 (76 FR 7584). Workers
were engaged in the production of cast bronze memorial products.
The initial investigation resulted in a negative determination
based on the findings that, during the relevant period, the subject
firm did not import articles like or directly competitive with
those produced at the subject firm, or shift to/acquire from a
foreign country the production of these articles. The Department’s
survey of the subject firm’s major declining customers regarding
their purchases of cast bronze memorial products (and like or
directly competitive articles) in 2007, 2008, 2009, and during
January through February 2010 revealed no imports.
In the request for reconsideration, the petitioner alleged
that, during the relevant time period, the subject firm had
transferred equipment from the subject facility to Mexico and that
the subject worker group was impacted by customer imports.
During the reconsideration investigation, the Department
requested the subject firm to submit a new Confidential Data
Request form, collected new information to address the allegations,
and obtained clarification of previously-submitted information.
The Department also obtained additional U.S. aggregate import data
of articles like or directly competitive with those produced by the
subject worker group.
Based on a careful review of information obtained during the
initial and reconsideration investigations, the Department
determines that imports of articles like or directly competitive
with the cast bronze memorial products manufactured at the subject
firm did not contribute importantly to worker group separations and
to subject firm sales/production declines. Therefore, the criteria
set forth in Section 222(a) have not been met.
Conclusion
After careful reconsideration, I affirm the original notice of
negative determination of eligibility to apply for worker
adjustment assistance for workers and former workers of Matthews
International Corporation, Bronze Division, Kingwood, West
Virginia.
Signed in Washington, D.C. this 27th day of June, 2011

/s/ Del Min Amy Chen
_____________________________
DEL MIN AMY CHEN
Certifying Officer, Office of
Trade Adjustment Assistance
4510-FN-P


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-72,953

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
BRONZE DIVISION
KINGWOOD, WEST VIRGINIA

Negative Determination Regarding Eligibility
To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

In accordance with Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974, as
amended (“Act”), 19 U.S.C. § 2273, the Department of Labor herein
presents the results of an investigation regarding certification of
eligibility to apply for worker adjustment assistance.
Workers of a firm may be eligible for worker adjustment
assistance if they satisfy the criteria of subsection (a), (c) or
(f) of Section 222 of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a), (c), (f). For
the Department of Labor to issue a certification for workers under
Section 222(a) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a), the following three
criteria must be met:
I. The first criterion (set forth in Section 222(a)(1) of the
Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2282(a)(1)) requires that a significant
number or proportion of the workers in the workers’ firm must
have become totally or partially separated or be threatened
with total or partial separation.

II. The second criterion (set forth in Section 222(a)(2) of the
Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a)(2)) may be satisfied in one of two
ways:
(A) Increased Imports Path:
(i) sales or production, or both, at the workers’ firm must
have decreased absolutely, AND
(ii) (I) imports of articles or services like or directly
competitive with articles or services produced or
supplied by the workers’ firm have increased, OR
(II)(aa) imports of articles like or directly
competitive with articles into which the component
part produced by the workers’ firm was directly
incorporated have increased; OR
(II)(bb) imports of articles like or directly
competitive with articles which are produced
directly using the services supplied by the
workers’ firm have increased; OR
(III) imports of articles directly incorporating
component parts not produced in the U.S. that are
like or directly competitive with the article into
which the component part produced by the workers’
firm was directly incorporated have increased.

(B) Shift in Production or Supply Path:
(i)(I) there has been a shift by the workers’ firm to a
foreign country in the production of articles or supply
of services like or directly competitive with those
produced/supplied by the workers’ firm; OR
(i)(II) there has been an acquisition from a foreign country
by the workers’ firm of articles/services that are like
or directly competitive with those produced/supplied by
the workers’ firm.

III. The third criterion requires that the increase in imports or
shift/acquisition must have contributed importantly to the
workers’ separation or threat of separation. See Sections
222(a)(2)(A)(iii) and 222(a)(2)(B)(ii) of the Act, 19 U.S.C.
§§ 2272(a)(2)(A)(iii), 2272(a)(2)(B)(ii).

Section 222(d) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(d), defines the
terms “Supplier” and “Downstream Producer.” For the Department to
issue a secondary worker certification under Section 222(c) of the
Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(c), to workers of a Supplier or a Downstream
Producer, the following criteria must be met:
(1) a significant number or proportion of the workers in the
workers’ firm or an appropriate subdivision of the firm
have become totally or partially separated, or are
threatened to become totally or partially separated;

(2) the workers’ firm is a Supplier or Downstream Producer to
a firm that employed a group of workers who received a
certification of eligibility under Section 222(a) of the
Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a), and such supply or production
is related to the article or service that was the basis
for such certification; and

(3) either
(A) the workers’ firm is a supplier and the component parts
it supplied to the firm described in paragraph (2)
accounted for at least 20 percent of the production or
sales of the workers’ firm; or
(B) a loss of business by the workers’ firm with the firm
described in paragraph (2) contributed importantly to the
workers’ separation or threat of separation.

Workers of a firm may also be considered eligible if they
are publicly identified by name by the International Trade
Commission as a member of a domestic industry in an investigation
resulting in a category of determination that is listed in
Section 222(f) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(f).
The group eligibility requirements for workers of a firm under
Section 222(f) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(f), can be satisfied if
the following criteria are met:
(1) the workers’ firm is publicly identified by name by the
International Trade Commission as a member of a domestic
industry in an investigation resulting in--
(A) an affirmative determination of serious injury or
threat thereof under section 202(b)(1);
(B) an affirmative determination of market disruption
or threat thereof under section 421(b)(1); or
(C) an affirmative final determination of material
injury or threat thereof under section 705(b)(1)(A)
or 735(b)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19
U.S.C. 1671d(b)(1)(A) and 1673d(b)(1)(A));
(2) the petition is filed during the 1-year period beginning
on the date on which--
(A) a summary of the report submitted to the President
by the International Trade Commission under section
202(f)(1) with respect to the affirmative
determination described in paragraph (1)(A) is
published in the Federal Register under section
202(f)(3); or
(B) notice of an affirmative determination described in
subparagraph (1) is published in the Federal
Register; and
(3) the workers have become totally or partially
separated from the workers’ firm within--
(A) the 1-year period described in paragraph (2); or
(B) notwithstanding section 223(b)(1), the 1-year
period preceding the 1-year period described in
paragraph (2).

The investigation was initiated in response to a petition
filed on November 25, 2009 on behalf of workers of Matthews
International Corporation, Bronze Division, Kingwood, West
Virginia. The workers produced bronze burial markers and
memorial products for the cemetery and funeral industry.
The petitioners allege that a shift in production and
increased imports resulted in worker separations. The investigation
included analysis of data provided by a company official and the
firm’s customers.
With respect to Section 222(a) of the Act, the investigation
revealed that Criterion II has not been met because there was no
increase in imports by the workers’ firm or customers of articles
like or directly competitive with those produced by the firm nor
was there a shift in production/acquisition to a foreign country
by the firm.
With respect to Section 222(c) of the Act, the investigation
revealed that Criterion (2) has not been met because the workers’
firm did not produce an article or supply a service that was used
by a firm with TAA certified workers in the production of an
article or supply of a service that was the basis for TAA
certification.
Finally, the group eligibility requirements under Section
222(f) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(f), have not been satisfied
because the workers’ firm has not been identified in an
affirmative finding of injury by the U.S. International Trade
Commission.
Conclusion
After careful review of the facts obtained in the
investigation, I determine that workers of Matthews International
Corporation, Bronze Division, Kingwood, West Virginia, who
produced bronze burial markers and memorial products, are denied
eligibility to apply for adjustment assistance under Section 223 of
the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2273.
Signed in Washington, D.C., this 1st day of June, 2010

/s/Michael W. Jaffe
______________________________
MICHAEL W. JAFFE
Certifying Officer, Division of
Trade Adjustment Assistance



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