News Releases
07/06/05 | ||
Spratt Announces Approval of Trade Benefits for Velcro Workers | ||
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor has approved a Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition filed by Velcro USA, Inc., of Lancaster, making its workers eligible for TAA benefits. “I am pleased that the Labor Department has approved this petition and made these benefits available,” said Spratt. “I hope that these benefits will cushion the blow and help build a bridge to the future for those who have lost their jobs.” Spratt said the Trade Adjustment Assistance program offers benefits, including job retraining, to workers displaced by imports or a shift of production to other countries. Once a laid-off worker has exhausted state unemployment benefits, he or she can qualify to receive supplemental benefits under TAA. These include weekly cash payments equal to unemployment benefits. To qualify, the worker must be involved in job re-training. TAA payments can last for 52 weeks if a worker is in job training and 26 weeks more if a worker needs remedial education. The job training requirement can be waived if any one of the following six grounds for waiver is demonstrated: 1. The worker is recalled by the firm from which he or she was laid-off. 2. The worker already has marketable skills for suitable employment and has reason to expect employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future. 3. The worker is within 2 years of retiring and meets all requirements either under Social Security or a private pension sponsored by an employer or labor organization. 4. The worker is unable to participate in training due to his or her health. 5. The worker is unable to get job retraining because immediate enrollment is unavailable. 6. The worker is unable to find approved training from either government or private sources, or no suitable training is available at a reasonable cost, or no training funds are available. ### |