Lose your manufacturing job? Find out if Uncle Sam can help you with wage insurance.
Am I eligible?
You’re eligible to apply if:
- You’re age 50 or older
- You lost your manufacturing job
- You were laid off as a direct result of international trade
- You take a full-time job that pays less than $50,000 a year
- You get your new job within six months of being laid off
What are the benefits?
If your pay at your new job is less than you made at your old job, the government helps with:
- 50% of the difference between your old and new wages
- Up to two years coverage
- Up to $10,000
How do I apply?
Together with your coworkers who were laid off from the same employer:
- File a petition with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance (DTAA)
- Ask that your group be certified as workers adversely affected by foreign trade
What happens next?
The Department of Labor will decide if you and your coworkers can be certified. If your group is certified:
- Apply for services and benefits, including wage insurance
- Contact your local One-Stop Career Center for assistance
Background Information
The Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (ATAA) is a little known federal program, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Part of the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAA), which came into being in 2002, ATAA is designed for older workers for whom retraining may not be appropriate. It allows you to take a job that pays less than your old one because Uncle Sam will make up some of the wage difference.
For More Info
For additional information about wage insurance, check out these helpful Web sites:
www.thebeehive.org – Provides information on wage insurance, including pending wage insurance legislation, as well as resources on finding a job, making more money, getting training and education, and many other helpful topics.
www.doleta.gov – Offers information on services and benefits under the Trade Adjustment Assistance and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance programs. This is the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment & Training Administration Web site and includes a toll-free number for information on these and other training and employment programs.
www.servicelocator.org – Assists you in finding the One-Stop Career Center closest to you. The site also provides labor market information, career tools, an employment center, and much more. One-Stop Career Centers, employment and training centers funded by the federal government and administered locally, are located throughout the U.S.
Apply Now!
Get the ball rolling with your petition to the Department of Labor. For years you’ve worked hard and paid taxes, now find out how Uncle Sam can help you through wage insurance. This may be just what you—and your coworkers—need.
