SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTED TO ELDRED WHEELER COMPANY IN BETHEL

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 Eldred Wheeler Company, a furniture manufacturer based in Bethel.

"TAA certification will provide support to these hard working, skilled workers so they might return to the workforce," Senators Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. "These workers lost their jobs through no fault of their own and we are hopeful that they will benefit from this assistance."

TAA provides assistance for workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition. Benefits to workers who are newly unemployed include 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.

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