Snowe, Collins Show Support for Displaced Wausau Paper Workers
December 4, 2008
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today sent a letter urging Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to approve the State of Maine’s request for a National Emergency Grant (NEG) for the 146 workers at Wausau Paper Specialty Products, LLC in Jay. The workers lost their jobs at Wausau Paper as a result of increased competition from overseas.
"National Emergency Grant funds are critically needed to help the displaced workers attain the employment services and assistance they need to rejoin the workforce," Senators Snowe and Collins said. "In these harsh economic times, we pledge to commit all available resources to assist these displaced workers and work toward economic recovery in our state."
NEG funds are provided to states, at the discretion of the Secretary to provide services such as job training and retraining and job placement services to displaced workers. Last month, Senators Snowe and Collins requested Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for the workers and are still awaiting a decision by the Department of Labor.
The text of the letter is below:
December 4, 2008
The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, Secretary
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20210
Dear Secretary Chao:
We are writing on behalf of the 146 workers at Wausau Paper Specialty Products, LLC in Jay, Maine, who have been displaced due to increased imports from foreign countries. As you will recall, the company submitted a Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition last month in an effort to help reduce the negative affects that foreign trade has had on their financial security. At present, the TAA application is still pending in your office.
Today, we were informed that the Maine Department of Labor electronically filed a National Emergency Grant (NEG) proposal with your office to aid in the cost of providing much needed reemployment services to the affected workers. The request is for $307,315, and will be critically needed to support reemployment efforts, including recruitment, outreach, assessment, job skills transferability analysis, case management, business outreach and job development and placement. And, given that the regional labor market’s unemployment rate is seven percent, workers will undoubtedly require intensive retraining services to find employment.
Like the Trade Adjustment Assistance petition before it, we request that you review the National Emergency Grant application in a timely manner to ensure that the workers receive the assistance they need to help get them back on sound financial footing. This assistance is of paramount importance to us, the workers, and to the families they support.
Thank you for your time and consideration on behalf of the workers at Wausau Paper Specialty Products, LLC in Jay, Maine.
Sincerely,
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE SUSAN M. COLLINS
United States Senator United States Senator
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