SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE STINSON SEAFOOD WORKERS TO RECEIVE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor has granted Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to workers who were recently laid off by Stinson Seafoods, a division of Bumble Bee Seafoods located in Bath. "TAA assistance provides a variety of benefits and reemployment services that will allow the hardworking employees at Stinson Seafoods to quickly reenter the workforce," Senators Snowe and Collins said. "It is our hope that these displaced workers, who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, will benefit from this assistance."

The workers at Stinson Seafoods produce canned sardine products. The company is no longer able to provide employment to its employees due to a decrease in production and sales as a result of increased importation of such products. The contracted workers from LAO Temporary Services, Inc. who worked at Stinson Seafoods are also eligible for TAA.

TAA will provide these displaced workers with benefits including training, education, job search and relocation allowances, and re-employment services including counseling, interview training, and resume assistance. Health care tax credits and unemployment benefits extensions are also established for a company that has received TAA certification. In order to qualify for TAA, a company must show a loss in production due to foreign competition.

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