Tom Harkin: Job Training Assistance Extended To More Workers Affected By Maytag Closure

November 14, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that workers from First Choice Distribution, who provided engineering support services on site at Newton’s Maytag plant, will be eligible for job training assistance through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act. First Choice Distribution workers who lost employment on or after October 26, 2006 due to the Maytag plant’s closure can receive counseling, job-search assistance, out-of-area job-search and relocation allowances, and income support. Today’s announcement expands upon the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) declaration this past January that former Maytag workers’ were eligible for assistance because their jobs were lost as a result of foreign trade.

“First Choice Distribution workers’ jobs vanished when Newton’s Maytag plant closed. Therefore they too deserve access to the job training assistance which is already helping other former Maytag employees move on with their careers,” Harkin said. “Helping workers formerly associated with Maytag successfully pursue new job opportunities is crucial to ensuring the Newton economy remains strong.”

Workers can visit the Employment and Training section of the DOL’s website at http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/benefits.cfm for information on how to access these benefits.

Petitions for Trade Adjustment Assistance may be filed with the DOL by employers, unions, community-based organizations, or others who represent a group of workers that believe their jobs were lost or hours and wages reduced due to increased imports or a shift in production in foreign countries.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin

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