U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Labor approved the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition filed on behalf of the more than 150 Domtar employees of the Woodland Mill in Baileyville who recently lost their employment when the company announced it was shutting down the mill’s paper machine.
“This vital assistance from the federal government comes not a moment too soon for the hardworking, productive, and skilled employees of the Woodland mill who recently lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” noted Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “In receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance, these fine workers and their families will be one step closer to rebuilding their livelihoods, although much more remains to be done to help them fully recover. That’s why, hand-in-glove, the Maine congressional delegation, Governor Baldacci, state, local and private sector resources are working collaboratively in forming a task force to identify further assistance for these employees and also to seek ways to strengthen and bolster pulp operations in one of Maine’s most important industries.”
In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor has determined that workers at the firm, age 50 and over, who possess skills that are not easily transferable are eligible to apply for alternative trade adjustment assistance (ATAA). Eligible individuals in the certified group who are age 50 and over and who obtain new employment at wages of less than $50,000 within 26 weeks of their separation may receive a wage subsidy of 50% of the difference between the old and new wages, up to $10,000 over a period of up to two years.
The purpose of the TAA program is to aid workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages decrease as a result of increased imports. Now that the TAA petition is approved, displaced Domtar workers will be eligible for employment training in another job or career, income support, job search allowance, and relocation services for individuals who obtain jobs outside of their normal commuting area.
In letters sent at the beginning of this month, Senators Snowe and Collins urged U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to expedite the review of the Domtar TAA application.
# # #