UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

TA-W-98,273

REEDGROUP MANAGEMENT LLC

BENEFITS ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT DIVISION

A SUBSIDIARY OF THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA

WESTMINSTER, COLORADO

Negative Determination Regarding Eligibility

To Apply For Worker Adjustment Assistance

And Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance

TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE

In accordance with Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974, as
amended (the Act), 19 U.S.C. § 2273, the Department of Labor
(Department) 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) and b)
of Section 222 of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a) and (b). For the
Department 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:

(1) The first criterion (set forth in Section 222(a)(1) of the
Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(a)(1)) requires that a significant
number or proportion of the workers in such 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 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) imports of articles like or directly competitive with
articles produced by such firm or subdivision have
increased; and

(iii) the increase 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 or subdivision.

(B) Shift in Production Path:

(i) there has been a shift in production by such workers'
firm or subdivision to a foreign country of articles
like or directly competitive with articles which are
produced by such firm or subdivision; and

(ii)(I) the country to which the workers' firm has
shifted production of the articles is a party to a free
trade agreement with the United States;

(II)the country to which the workers' firm has
shifted production of the articles is a beneficiary
country under the Andean Trade Preference Act, African
Growth and Opportunity Act, or the Caribbean Basin
Economic Recovery Act; or

(III)there has been or is likely to be an increase
in imports of articles that are like or directly
competitive with articles which are or were produced by
such firm or subdivision.

For the Department to issue a certification under Section
222(b) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(b), 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 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.

Section 222(c) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. § 2272(c), defines the
terms "Supplier" and "Downstream Producer."

The investigation was initiated in response to a Trade
Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) and Alternative Trade
Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) petition dated April 22, 2022, and
filed on April 25, 2022, by a State Workforce Office on behalf of
former workers of ReedGroup Management LLC, Benefits Account
Management Division, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance
Company of America, Westminster, Colorado (hereafter referred to
as the "group of workers"). In accordance with 20 C.F.R. 618.110
group of workers is defined as, ""¦including teleworkers and staffed
workers." The workers' firm is engaged in the supply of services
for administering leaves of absence and benefits to external
customers. Workers in the Benefits Account Management Division are
engaged in the supply of management customer service. The petition
alleges that worker separations, or threats thereof, were due to
a shift in the supply of services to a foreign country.

In order to be considered eligible to apply for adjustment
assistance under Section 223 of the Trade Act of 1974, the group
of workers seeking certification (or on whose behalf certification
is being sought) must work for a "firm" or appropriate subdivision
that produces an article. The definition of a firm includes an
individual proprietorship, partnership, joint venture,
association, corporation (including a development corporation),
business trust, cooperative, trustee in bankruptcy, and receiver
under decree of any court.

Per 20 C.F.R. 618.110, Article means "a tangible good or an
intangible good sold or produced by a firm. The good must be the
subject of the sale or production, and not an object that is
produced incidentally to the sale or production. An article can be
measured in individual production units or commercial production
units, such as with commodities. Sale of an article is the means
by which revenue is generated, accumulated, or calculated."

During the investigation, the Department obtained information
that revealed that the petitioning workers' firm does not produce
an article within the meaning of Section 222(a) or Section 222(b)
of the Act. Rather, ReedGroup Management LLC, Westminster,
Colorado is engaged in the supply of services; specifically, the
workers' firm supplied services for administering leaves of
absence and benefits to external customers.

ALTERNATIVE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE

In order for the Department to issue a certification of
eligibility to apply for Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance
(ATAA), the group of workers must be certified eligible to apply
for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Because the group of workers
are denied eligibility to apply for TAA, the group of workers
cannot be certified eligible for ATAA.

Conclusion

After careful review of the facts obtained in the
investigation, I determine that all workers of ReedGroup
Management LLC, Benefits Account Management Division, a subsidiary
of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Westminster,
Colorado, 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 3rd day of June, 2022.



/s/ Del-Min Amy Chen
_______________________
DEL-MIN AMY CHEN

Certifying Officer, Office of

Trade Adjustment Assistance