Wed, Jun 29, 2005
Program Founded 31-Years Ago -- Union Says It's Outdated
Northwest Airline mechanics
say Congress and the Bush Administration need to update a federal
program that was made into law in 1974 to help manufacturing
workers who lose their jobs to outsourcing. The Trade Adjustment
Assistance (TAA) program, adopted before the expansion of the U.S.
service economy, should extend the same temporary unemployment
benefits, retraining assistance and health care credits to service
employees whose jobs have been outsourced, said Ted Ludwig,
president of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Local
33.
"It is unfair and un-American to abandon displaced service
workers and their families, just because treating them the same as
displaced manufacturing workers would cost more. This simple reform
has been discussed for quite a while. Now it's time for President
Bush and Congress to do the right thing," Ludwig said. Reforms to
allow certification of worker eligibility by industry and
occupation, instead of at individual worksites, are also necessary
to make TAA more efficient and fair, according to Ludwig.
Ludwig said the TAA
renewal must be included in the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA), which the Administration presented to Congress
last week for approval. "CAFTA is a logical vehicle for TAA reform
and is the last chance we'll have for a while to fix TAA," said
Ludwig.
TAA says it's helped many thousands of American workers laid off
because of outsourcing move into new careers. But because of the
gaping hole that excludes service workers, TAA benefits haven't
been available to the more than 2,500 aircraft technicians in the
Twin Cities alone who have lost their jobs to outsourcing in the
last few years.
"Most of our members are breadwinners, and enrolling full-time
in a partially subsidized two-year retraining program isn't an
option for them when they need to support their families --
especially when unemployment benefits run out after 26 weeks," said
Ludwig. "TAA would allow our laid-off members and thousands like
them across the service sector to move into new careers, minimizing
the potential for long-term dependence on government assistance.
It's money well spent."
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]