INDIANAPOLIS — Former employees of the Fort Wayne Foundry Corporation are eligible to receive services under the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said in a news release today.
 
The TAA program is for workers displaced because of foreign imports or shifts in production out of the country.

The U.S. Department of Labor's March 2 ruling applies to workers fired or laid off on or after June 24, 2008 through two years from the date of certification. The workers produced aluminum castings for automobile parts.

The TAA program provides benefits to help unemployed workers train for and get new jobs. They may be eligible for a variety of re-employment services, job search and relocation allowances and training. In addition, weekly trade re-adjustment allowances may be payable to eligible workers following the exhaustion of employment insurance benefits.

Additionally, DOL issued a certification for Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) for separated older workers at the Columbia City facility. A significant number of workers at the company age 50 and over possess skills that are not easily transferable and that competitive conditions within the industry are adverse. Older workers may choose between regular TAA benefits or a wage subsidy of 50 percent of the difference between their new salary and old salary, up to $12,000. Eligible workers may obtain information at their local WorkOne center.