US Department of Labor certifies approximately 4,400 workers in 9 states as eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 4,400 workers from companies in nine states – Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

"Through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, we are leveraging opportunities for displaced workers to acquire the skills needed to secure good jobs in promising areas of their local economies, said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis."

Workers covered by these latest TAA certifications will be contacted by their respective states with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who 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 (HCTC).

"President Obama and the administration have been working hard to help auto communities by investing in both getting Americans back to work today and strengthening the economy for the long-term," said Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers. "During these tough times, TAA will provide these Chrysler workers and their families much needed income support, access to health care, job training and other assistance as they transition to new jobs in other sectors of the economy."

Workers 50 years of age and older may elect to receive Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). 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 HCTC.

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

Editor's Note: A chart reflecting companies covered by these certifications is below.

TAA Certifications