Release: Help Approved For Laid Off Ethan Allen Workers

Press Release

Release: Help Approved For Laid Off Ethan Allen Workers

The U.S. Labor Department today approved trade adjustment assistance for Ethan Allen employees in Beecher Falls, Vt., Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced.

The Vermont congressional delegation supported an application submitted by the Vermont Department of Labor on behalf of the employees for assistance after Ethan Allen announced up to 260 employees would lose their jobs at the company's Beecher Falls location. Members of New Hampshire's Congressional delegation, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Vt.) and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D-N.H.) also supported the application.

"For decades Ethan Allen has been a major economic engine in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the North Country of New Hampshire," they wrote to U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on June 30. "With few other employment opportunities in the area, TAA is critical in extending unemployment benefits and providing retraining opportunities to Ethan Allen's displaced workers."

The Trade Adjustment Assistance program provides aid to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports. It offers a variety of benefits and services to help unemployed workers prepare for and obtain suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, job search and relocation allowances, income support and other services.

The program is administered by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. States serve as agents to the Labor Department in administering the program.

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