Machinists Union Helps Deliver T.A.A. Benefits

for Laid-off Boeing Workers

Several thousand laid-off Boeing Co. workers have been granted additional federal assistance because of action taken by the International Association of Machinists.

Acting on a new petition filed by the Machinists Union District 751, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled that Boeing workers are eligible for benefits under the Trade Adjustment Act, which provides special assistance to workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign competition. This ruling covers Boeing workers at plants throughout Puget Sound and in Portland, Ore, who were laid off on or after May 22, 2008. The benefits will be extended to cover any workers laid off over the next two years.

The Machinists Union (with assistance from the Washington State Labor Council and SPEEA) filed the petition on behalf of all laid-off Boeing employees after additional benefits were enacted with passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in May.

"The Machinists Union is dedicated to helping improve not just the lives of our members, but others throughout our communities. Even though only a small portion of our members (a couple hundred) will be eligible, TAA provides a substantial safety net for other Boeing employees impacted by layoff. We hope word gets out and those affected will take advantage of these tremendous benefits," stated District President Tom Wroblewski. "Just because our members aren’t drawing paychecks from Boeing right now doesn’t mean we’re not still fighting for them."

The ruling means that laid-off Boeing workers – including those who aren’t Machinists union members -- may be eligible for a range of federal benefits, which can include:

* Up to $16,000 for training (if needed) for an in-demand industry;

* An additional one to two years of payments similar to unemployment insurance if a laid-off worker needs it to finish training or find employment (up to 156 weeks);

* An 80-percent tax credit on healthcare coverage premiums;

* Job Search assistance including help to cover travel expenses to a scheduled job interview and up to $1,500 in job search allowances.

* Support to help relocate to take a new job; and, 

* A partial wage subsidy for workers over 50 who are re-employed in a lesser-paying job. 

 

Fifteen orientation sessions have been scheduled throughout Puget Sound to educate laid-off Boeing workers on TAA benefits and options available (Click here for flyer with schedule).

 

In addition, WorkSource has scheduled ongoing TAA Intake Sessions, which must be attended to qualify for benefits (Click here for flyer with contacts and specific dates).

 

Boeing’s Northwest payrolls have fluctuated since May 2008, but as of October, total employment in Washington was slightly under 73,000, which is roughly 3,800 people fewer than what the company employed a year ago. Boeing doesn’t report Portland-area employment separately.

 

Trade Act benefits are administered in Washington by local WorkSource offices. For details on how to apply, contact your nearest WorkSource office or go online at www.go2worksource.org. Information also is available from the Department of Labor online at www.doleta.gov/tradeact.

 

By ruling that Boeing workers are eligible for the Trade Act benefits, the Labor Department determined that Boeing reduced the portion of aircraft components it produced itself or bought from U.S. sources between 2007 and 2009, and lost U.S. market share in the single-aisle jet market to foreign competitors during the same period. Both these factors “contributed importantly” to industry layoffs, the Department ruled.