U.S. Department of Labor certifies almost 2,000 auto workers in Michigan, Indiana, South Carolina and Mississippi are eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that almost 2,000 workers in auto-related industries in Michigan, Indiana, South Carolina and Mississippi are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.

"Workers employed in auto-related fields in these states have sacrificed enormously, and they deserve our support as they look to transfer their considerable skills to new careers in promising regional industries," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "With Trade Adjustment Assistance, workers impacted by these layoffs will have the opportunity to apply for employment-related services that will help them get good jobs paying family-supporting wages."

Approximately 1,000 workers at Visteon Corp., Plymouth and Van Buren Township, Mich., qualify, as well as about 300 at Checker Motors Corp., Kalamazoo, Mich. Meanwhile over 250 workers at the Foamade Industries Inc. facilities in Hillsdale and Auburn Hills, Mich., and close to 75 workers at the company's Verona Miss. site, are also eligible, as well as approximately 140 workers at Bose Corp., Blythewood, S.C. About 209 workers at the Fort Wayne Foundry Corp. in Fort Wayne, Ind. also qualify.

Workers covered by these certifications will be contacted by the state with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who do apply may receive case management and re-employment services, training in new occupational skills and trade readjustment allowances that provide income support for workers enrolled in training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances and the Health Coverage Tax Credit.

Workers 50 years of age and older may elect to receive Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA), which was created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. If a worker obtains new employment at wages less than $55,000 and less than those earned in adversely affected employment, the RTAA program will pay 50 percent of the difference between the old wage and the new wage, up to $12,000 over a two-year period. RTAA participants may also be eligible for retraining and the Health Coverage Tax Credit.

"Workers at auto suppliers such as those certified today have been hard hit during this economic crisis. These TAA certifications will allow workers in Michigan, Indiana, South Carolina and Mississippi to access funds which ensure that they and their families receive much needed help," said Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers. "The White House Council's priority is to work with Secretary Solis and other members of the administration to cut red tape so that workers and communities get the assistance they need today, while trying to create opportunities for growth and revitalization."

For more information on Trade Adjustment Assistance and the range of Department of Labor employment and training services, visit http://www.doleta.gov.