Ensuring Trade Benefits All Americans

Press Release

Ensuring Trade Benefits ALL Americans

Washington , D.C. - Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) applauded passage of the Trade and Globalization Assistance Act (H.R. 3920), which will provide support and assistance to communities and workers who have been negatively impacted by increased global trade.

"We need to ensure that free trade is fair trade in America and with the Trade and Globalization Assistance Act, we are providing American workers - regardless of whether they are in the service industry or lose their job from offshoring - have the tools they need to compete in today's global economy. This is about expanding Trade Adjustment Assistance to more manufacturing workers like the 220 Hershey employees affected by the closure of the Naugatuck Plant in Connecticut," stated DeLauro.

"Importantly, this legislation ensures that workers impacted by companies moving their factories offshore qualify for trade adjustment assistance by eliminating restrictions set in place by illogical eligibility criteria currently in place, as well as expand access to those in the service sector.

"With the unemployment insurance reform in this measure, states will be rewarded for modernizing and improving coverage for low-wage, part-time and other workers by removing barriers, as well as ensuring a more family-friendly system. It is estimated that unemployed low-wage workers are only one-third as likely to receive unemployment benefits, but more than twice as likely to be unemployed as higher wage workers.

"And we make sure that states have the resources they need for training by immediately doubling the current funding and ultimately tripling those dollars over the next three years.

"This initiative is about minimizing the economic impact of for workers and ensuring that expanding trade does not come at the expense of any of America 's workers."

The Trade and Globalization Assistance Act will overhaul the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program by expanding opportunities for job training to transition workers into 21st Century jobs to take advantage of increasing globalization. Specifically, it will:

Extends TAA job training and health benefits to service workers who lose their jobs due to global trade and covers more manufacturing workers;
*

Dramatically improves TAA health care benefits and strengthens job training benefits so that workers have a real opportunity to strengthen their skills for good-paying jobs;
*

Ensures access to better training through increased training funds;
*

Creates new benefits and tax incentives for industries and communities that have experienced manufacturing job losses;
*

Promotes long-needed reforms in unemployment benefits; and
*

Strengthens notification of workers laid off in plant closing or in mass layoffs.

Source