Old Town workers denied federal funds
U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins have pledged to find alternative federal assistance for about 180 workers at Old Town Fuel and Fiber who were laid off when the pulp mill closed in mid-August and who learned late Wednesday that their application for federal trade adjustment assistance had been denied.
“The layoffs at the Old Town Mill were a blow to the workers and their families who were already squeezed tight in this tough economy, and this latest announcement from the Department of Labor is disappointing,” King and Collins said in a joint press release. “We will continue to work to try to find federal resources to help the nearly 200 workers and their families looking for answers and fighting to maintain their way of life. And when Old Town appeals this devastating decision, we will support the process every step of the way.”
The Bangor Daily News reported that the denial of federal trade adjustment assistance came as a surprise to union officials, who noted that the company had blamed foreign competition and increasing wood and energy costs when the mill was closed this summer.
“We are firmly convinced foreign trade is a piece of the problem here,” Duane Lugdon, United Steelworkers Union international representative for Maine, told the newspaper.”There is an influx of eucalyptus pulp arriving in America from places like Brazil and Venezuela. … It’s replacing our pulp, because they can bring it in here and sell it cheaper than we can.”
Lugdon said the steelworkers union, which had submitted the application along with Maine’s Department of Labor and Maine AFL-CIO, plans to appeal the U.S. Department of Labor’s decision.
Read more
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments