DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-94,787

HBD/THERMOID, INC.
A SUBSIDIARY OF HBD INDUSTRIES, INC.
INCLUDING ON-SITE LEASED WORKERS FROM
JERMAN PERSONNEL SERVICES, INC.
ELGIN, SOUTH CAROLINA

Certification 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.
The group eligibility requirements for workers of a firm
under Section 222(a) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a), are
satisfied if the following criteria are met:
(1) a significant number or proportion of the workers in such
workers' firm have become totally or partially separated, or
are threatened to become totally or partially separated; and
(2)(A)(i) the sales or production, or both, of such firm have
decreased absolutely; and
(ii)(I) imports of articles or services like or directly
competitive with articles produced or services supplied by
such firm have increased; and
(iii) the increase in imports described in clause (ii)
contributed importantly to such workers' separation or
threat of separation and to the decline in the sales or
production of such firm.

The investigation was initiated in response to a petition
filed on May 8, 2019, by a state workforce office on behalf of
workers and former workers of HBD/Thermoid, Inc., a subsidiary
of HBD Industries, Inc., including on-site leased workers from
Jerman Personnel Services, Inc., Elgin, South Carolina
(HBD/Thermoid-Elgin). The workers' firm is engaged in activities
related to the production of power transmission belts.
During the course of the investigation, information was
collected from the petitioner, the workers' firm, and the
subject firm's major customer(s).
Section 222(a)(1) has been met because a significant
number or proportion of the workers in HBD/Thermoid-Elgin have
become totally or partially separated, or are threatened to
become totally or partially separated.
Section 222(a)(2)(A)(i) has been met because
HBD/Thermoid-Elgin sales and/or production have decreased
absolutely.
Section 222(a)(2)(A)(ii) has been met because customer
imports of articles like or directly competitive with the
power transmission belts produced by HBD/Thermoid-Elgin have
increased during the relevant period when compared to the
representative base period.
Finally, Section 222(a)(2)(A)(iii) has been met because
increased imports contributed importantly to the worker group
separations and sales/production declines at HBD/Thermoid-
Elgin.
Conclusion
After careful review of the facts obtained in the
investigation, I determine that workers of HBD/Thermoid-Elgin,
who are engaged in activities related to the production of power
transmission belts, meet the worker group certification criteria
under Section 222(a) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a). In
accordance with Section 223 of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2273, I make
the following certification:
"All workers of HBD/Thermoid, Inc., a subsidiary of HBD
Industries, Inc., including on-site leased workers from
Jerman Personnel Services, Inc., Elgin, South Carolina,
who became totally or partially separated from employment
on or after May 7, 2018, through two years from the date of
certification, and all workers in the group threatened with
total or partial separation from employment on the date of
certification through two years from the date of
certification, are eligible to apply for adjustment
assistance under Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of
1974, as amended."
Signed in Washington, D.C. this 19th day of July 2019.

/s/Del-Min Amy Chen
______________________________
DEL-MIN AMY CHEN
Certifying Officer, Office of
Trade Adjustment Assistance