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 employees of the Maine Fence Company in Pittsfield who recently lost their employment when the company announced it was downsizing.
“This vital assistance from the federal government comes not a moment too soon for the hardworking, productive, and skilled employees of Maine Fence 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 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.”
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 Maine Fence 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.
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