Staff Writer
Support has been granted for workers at Maine Woods Company in Portage and Domtar in Baileyville, in the form of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program — a federal program designed to assist displaced workers in acquiring the training and information necessary to find new jobs. Congressman Mike Michaud made the announcement recently, indicating that the U.S. Department of Labor had notified workers from the mills they are now eligible to apply for assistance through the federal program.
Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, had sent a joint letter to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on June 10 requesting Solis support a petition for TAA for the Portage and Baileyville workers. Although in June Domtar re-started its Baileyville operations, bringing 300 employees back to work, Snowe and Collins, in a joint statement, indicated eligible workers would have access to these benefits for up to two years.
“This is extremely welcome news, which we hope will bring some sense of relief to these hardworking Mainers, who, through no fault of their own, lost their jobs,” said Sens. Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “Given the gravity of the economic downturn, it is vital these displaced workers and their families receive the assistance they need until they are able to get back on their feet and re-enter the workforce.”
Michaud praised the decision, noting how devastating the shutdowns have been on the workers, their families and the communities they call home, and what an important role the assistance plays in helping displaced workers get back on their feet.
“Our state has been hit hard by the recession and overseas competition. Losing a job can devastate families and affect whole communities. This assistance can’t replace a job, but it will provide workers with important skills assessments, training and job search help,” said Michaud.
Employees who qualify can receive job search and relocation allowances, occupational training and education assistance, as well as other services.
TAA is a Department of Labor program that helps workers who have lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or a shift of production outside of the United States. It provides trade-affected workers with a variety of reemployment services and benefits to help them find new jobs and get back to work.
In a separate release, Michaud praised House passage of H.R. 3548, which provides up to 13 additional weeks’ of unemployment benefits to workers in high unemployment states like Maine who are about to run out of benefits.
According to a report done by the House Ways and Means Committee, Maine’s three-month average unemployment rate (ending August 2009) was at 8.6 percent and 4,838 Mainers will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of December.
“This extension of benefits will ensure that those who lost their jobs will be able to continue providing for their families,” said Michaud. “Extending this benefit not only helps those in most need, it is also something that directly stimulates the economy through increased economic activity.”
H.R. 3548 will help at least 300,000 Americans in 27 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico who will exhaust all of their unemployment benefits by the end of September and over 1 million people who will run out by the end of December.
“People in Maine and throughout our country are struggling to make ends meet,” said Michaud. “Prices for things like fuel and food, combined with the housing market downturn and the high cost of health care, are pushing many family budgets past the breaking point. Passing an extension of unemployment benefits is the least that Congress can do during these difficult economic times for those that have had trouble finding work.”
