Senate bill will expand assistance to workers who lose jobs to off shoring

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Workers Independent News

By Jesse Russell

A Senate bill introduced on Monday would expand the number of workers who would qualify for aid when their jobs are lost to off shoring. A plan by Senate Democrats would expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance program to cover call-center workers, computer programmers, and many other service sector positions. The program is up for renewal in September and Democrats are expecting a fight in the Senate and House. The program was founded in 1962 as a resource for workers who were losing jobs to foreign competition. Workers qualify if they can demonstrate that the job was lost due to competition of a corporation’s decision to shift production overseas due to a free trade agreement. Workers receive benefits that include income support on top of unemployment benefits from the state, job training and search assistance, and a tax credit that covers 65 percent of monthly health-insurance premiums. 1400 petitions for coverage were approved last year with about 800 being rejected. Most of the rejections came in fields such as computer programming and aircraft maintenance. The approvals last year covered 400,000 workers. Under the new proposal the health-insurance premium would be increased to 85-percent and the benefits would be made available to not just workers who lost jobs to U.S. trading partners, but also to workers who lost jobs to any other country.

Read more: http://www.laborradio.org/node/6438

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[Radical Activist]

1. Covering a gaping wound with a band-aid.

What a joke. The current neo-colonialist trade system isn't working for the poor and middle class in any of the nations involved.

[ramapo]

2. How about stopping H1B visas first

That's how offshoring got a big boost

[Dr.Phool]

3. The program is basically horseshit.

In 2002, I qualified for it in March, and put in an application. It ran out of money in May.

The following year, after I moved to Florida, I reapplied and was told that Jeb Bush wasn't funding the program. I asked why? It's a federal program and Jeb doesn't have anything to do with it. I was told that Florida received the money in a block grant, and Jebthro was spending it elsewhere.

Also, the 65 percent tax credit applies if you are over 55 years old, AND are receiving a pension from the PBGC. They just sent me the paperwork to file for it last month.