Department of Labor OKs benefits for workers

Staff report

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved trade-adjustment-assistance benefits for more than 1,2000 workers in Northeast Ohio who have lost their jobs as a result of increased imports and overseas competition, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced this week.

Workers at Lordstown Seating Systems were among those declared eligible to apply for the federal benefits, which include career-training opportunities, income support and allowances for job searches and relocation.

But the Lordstown Seating Systems workers no longer need the assistance, said Glenn Johnson, vice president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents those workers.

The company, which makes seats for General Motors, has called back all of the 237 workers who were laid off in 2009, and may need to hire more, Johnson said.

The Department of Labor estimates that about 192 Lordstown Seating Systems workers will benefit from the assistance.

The union petitioned the Department of Labor on behalf of the Lordstown Seating Systems workers in June 2009. The department first had to approve the benefits for GM workers before it could extend the aid to workers at any GM suppliers, Johnson said.

Although the workers are no longer in need of the federal assistance, the benefits will be there should Lordstown Seating Systems employees face another round of layoffs.

“It is a nice safety net for them,” Johnson said. “If the unthinkable happens, this will be available to them.”