JANESVILLE, WI – First District Congressman Paul Ryan today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a certification that former workers at Motorola in Harvard, Illinois are eligible to apply for NAFTA-Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA).

The Department of Labor's certification, issued in April 2001, states: "All workers at Motorola Personal Communications Sector in Harvard, Illinois, who became totally or partially separated from employment on or after February 13, 2000 through two years from the date of certification, are eligible to apply for NAFTA-TAA under Section 250 of the Trade Act of 1974."

The NAFTA-TAA program is a federal program that assists workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of trade with Canada or Mexico. A petition for NAFTA-TAA may be filed by a group of three or more workers, their employer, union or community-based organization. Possible benefits available through the NAFTA-TAA program include new career training, income support, and job search and relocation allowances. The U.S. Department of Labor must issue its Certification Regarding Eligibility before trade-affected workers may apply individually for benefits under this program.

"Many families in Southeastern Wisconsin have been affected by Motorola's job cuts," Ryan said. "The Labor Department's recent certification offers some good news, because it enables dislocated workers to apply for a range of benefits that can help them get back into the workforce."

In a March 9 letter to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Ryan expressed full support for efforts to obtain trade and transitional adjustment assistance for dislocated Motorola workers. In January, Motorola said that it planned to shut down its cell phone manufacturing operation at its facility in Harvard, Illinois by June 30. Hundreds of employees at the Harvard facility live in Wisconsin's First District.
 
Motorola workers who would like to apply for NAFTA-TAA benefits should contact their county job center (see contact information listed below.)
 

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