- from U.S. Dept. of Labor news release -

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that workers from Chrysler Group LLC in Belvidere, Ill., and Airtex Products LP in Fairfield, Ill., are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

“These Illinois residents deserve an opportunity to upgrade existing skills or enter the training needed to garner new jobs in promising regional industries,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Trade Adjustment Assistance is one way we can help workers facing layoffs or reduced hours due to direct foreign competition.”

Workers covered by these latest TAA certifications will be contacted by the state with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who apply may receive case management and re-employment services, training in new occupational skills and trade readjustment allowances that provide income support for workers enrolled in training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances, and the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

“Displaced auto assembly and supplier workers in Illinois covered by these TAA certifications can receive needed assistance while they seek new employment,” said Dr. Ed Montgomery, the executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers. “This assistance, while temporary, will be beneficial to these workers, but we recognize that this is not the final answer. The administration will continue to work to ensure that jobs are available to displaced workers.”

Workers 50 years of age and older may elect to receive Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). If a worker obtains new employment at wages less than $55,000 and less than those earned in adversely affected employment, the RTAA program will pay 50 percent of the difference between the old wage and the new wage, up to $12,000 over a two-year period. RTAA participants may also be eligible for retraining and the HCTC.

For more information on Trade Adjustment Assistance and the range of Department of Labor employment and training services, visit http://www.doleta.gov

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