LOCAL
Unions win federal assistance for laid-off Boeing workers
Machinists 751, SPEEA, WSLC successfully petition for TAA benefits
The TAA certification covers workers who lost or will lose their jobs from May 5, 2019 to June 23, 2022. It will also cover workers laid-off from several onsite contractors at Boeing locations in Washington and Oregon.
Members of Washington’s congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, also offered support for the unions’ petition via a recent letter to the U.S. Department of Labor asking for timely consideration. Signatories included Sens. Cantwell and Patty Murray and Reps. Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen.
TAA provides a range of federal benefits, which can include:
● Out-of-area job search allowances,
● Relocation assistance,
● Training/tuition support,
● Extended income support,
● Partial wage replacement for older workers,
● And more.
“The TAA program helps laid-off workers get career counseling and retraining. If they can’t quickly find new jobs, it provides extended unemployment benefits and helps maintain health-insurance coverage,” said Bill Messenger, WSLC Workforce Development Director. “For people who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, it may seem like a small consolation — and it is. But it’s an important one. TAA certification gives them access to all of the job retraining and reemployment program opportunities that are available.”
In Washington, the program is administered by the state’s Employment Security Department (ESD), and employment and case management services are provided by local WorkSource offices. Each individual worker must apply for the program at the state level to confirm eligibility and benefits provided are unique to each person’s re-employment needs.
IF YOU ARE A LAID-OFF BOEING WORKER — You will be notified by mail from ESD and you should be offered the opportunity to attend a TAA orientation/enrollment session. At the end of this session, you will be assigned a case manager. But you can go ahead and start researching now about what type of schooling/training could help you on your next employment. Folks at your local Worksource office can help you fill out the necessary paperwork and help you through the next steps of this important enrollment process. If you have trouble with this process or need to talk about options, please contact Bill Messenger via email to make an appointment. But please, wait for your notification from ESD first.