Former National Starch workers to receive aid

    ISLAND FALLS – Last week the U.S. Department of Labor approved the Trade Adjustment Assistance petition filed on behalf of 23 workers from the National Starch and Chemical Co. who were laid off in September. TAA is a federal program designed to aid workers who lose jobs to foreign competition. According to the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration  Web site (www.doleta.gov), approved workers can qualify for job search and relocation allowances, training, income support and health insurance tax credits.
    U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins released the following statement shortly after the DOL approved the petition.
    “This crucial assistance from the federal government will ensure that the hardworking employees at National Starch & Chemical Company, who recently lost their jobs through no fault of their own, will get the necessary resources they need to get through this difficult time,” noted Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.  “In receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance, these fine workers and their families will be one step closer to rebuilding their livelihoods, although much more remains to be done to help them fully recover.”
    According the to the Dec. 13 DOL report, the company’s specialty starches division produced drum dried and modified food starches, and that the company is shifting its starch production to China and Thailand. The DOL also found that a number of the affected workers are aged 50 or over and possess skills that are not easily transferable and that competition within the industry is “adverse.”
    Following the layoff announcement, Senators Snowe and Collins sent a joint letter urging U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to expedite the review of the TAA application to ensure that the workers received the assistance they needed to get back on their feet and to help reduce the negative effects this layoff will have on their financial stability.  
    In the small town of 790 people, National Starch is one of the largest employers. The company now employs 64 people.