Senators seek assistance for laid-off workers

WASHINGTON – Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins on Friday requested that the U.S. Department of Labor approve a Trade Adjustment Assistance petition filed on behalf of the 138 workers at SAS Shoemakers in Pittsfield who lost their jobs after the company announced that it is closing its facility.

The senators said they sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao requesting a timely review of the petition recently filed by the Maine Department of Labor for the workers directly affected.

“This is a devastating blow to the hard-working individuals who will lose their jobs through no fault of their own,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. “We will do all we can to assist these workers and their families receive the resources that they will need in the coming months.”

The purpose of the TAA program is to aid workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages decrease as a result of increased imports from, or shifts in production to, foreign countries.