[Federal Register: January 15, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 10)]
[Notices]
[Page 2633]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15ja09-139]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

[TA-W-63,897]


IAC Canton, Inc., a Subsidiary of International Automotive
Components Group North America, Inc., Canton, OH; Notice of Negative
Determination on Reconsideration

    On November 6, 2008, the Department issued an Affirmative
Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration for the workers
and former workers of the subject firm. The notice was published in the
Federal Register on November 13, 2008 (73 FR 67207).
    The initial investigation resulted in a negative determination
based on the finding that imports of rubber sheets, dash insulators,
and rubber floor mats did not contribute importantly to worker
separations at the subject firm and no shift of production to a foreign
source occurred.
    The petitioner alleged that the subject firm has been moving the
dash insulator equipment to Canada and requested that an investigation
of a shift in production to Canada be undertaken.
    The Department of Labor contacted a company official to verify this
information. The company official stated that no production of rubber
sheets, dash insulators, and rubber floor mats and no equipment have
been moved from the subject facility to Canada. The company official
also provided a statement that the production was shifted from the
subject facility to Springfield, Tennessee.
    The petitioner further alleges that production at the subject firm
has been negatively impacted by increase in sales of imported vehicles.
The petitioner concludes that because rubber sheets, dash insulators,
and rubber floor mats are used to manufacture vehicles and sales and
production of rubber sheets, dash insulators, and rubber floor mats at
the subject firm have been negatively impacted by increasing presence
of foreign imports of vehicles on the market, workers of the subject
firm should be eligible for TAA.
    In order to establish import impact, the Department must consider
imports that are like or directly competitive with those produced at
the subject firm. The Department conducted a survey of the subject
firm's major declining customer regarding its purchases of rubber
sheets, dash insulators, and rubber floor mats. The survey revealed
that the declining customer did not import rubber sheets, dash
insulators, and rubber floor mats in 2006, 2007 and during January
through July 2008.
    Imports of vehicles cannot be considered like or directly
competitive with rubber sheets, dash insulators, and rubber floor mats
produced by IAC Canton, Inc., Canton, Ohio, and imports of vehicles are
not relevant in this investigation.
    Whether the subject firm's customers were import impacted is
relevant to a determination of whether subject firm workers are
eligible for TAA based on the subject firm being a secondary upstream
supplier of a trade certified primary firm. For certification on the
basis of the workers' firm being a secondary upstream supplier, the
subject firm must produce component parts of an article that was the
basis for a TAA certification of customer(s) during the relevant
period.
    The Department conducted a further investigation and determined
that none of the customers of the subject firm was certified eligible
for TAA during the relevant period.

Conclusion

    After reconsideration, I affirm the original notice of negative
determination of eligibility to apply for worker adjustment assistance
for workers and former workers of IAC Canton, Inc., a subsidiary of
International Automotive Components Group, North America, Inc., Canton,
Ohio.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 9th day of January 2009.
Elliott S. Kushner,
Certifying Officer, Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance.
[FR Doc. E9-647 Filed 1-14-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P