Workers at Hostess Brands eligible for federal assistance
Free Press Report
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today announced a ruling by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that all workers of Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hostess Brands, Inc., operating at locations throughout the state of Indiana, are eligible to receive services under the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program.
The TAA program is made available to workers who are displaced due to foreign imports or shifts in production out of the country.
The federal ruling was issued on February 19, 2013 and applies to workers totally or partially separated from employment on or after November 19, 2011 through two years from the date of certification and all workers in the group threatened with total or partial separation from employment on date of certification through two years from the date of certification. The workers were engaged in activities related to the production, distribution and sale of baked goods such as bread, buns, rolls, snack cakes, doughnuts, sweet rolls and similar products.
If DOL finds that a significant number of workers at the company age 50 or over possess skills that are not easily transferable and that competitive conditions within the industry are adverse, the workers may be eligible for Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA). If the company is certified, 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 $10,000. The determination will be made in the coming weeks and will be posted online atwww.doleta.gov/tradeact/taa/
Eligible workers may obtain information at their local WorkOne center. A listing of all of the centers can be found at www.workoneworks.com.