WASHINGTON – Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins on Thursday requested that the U.S. Department of Labor approve a Trade Adjustment Assistance petition filed on behalf of the 36 employees who will lose their jobs today when Irving Forest Products Inc. closes its sawmill in Strong.

“This assistance is critical to helping the Irving Mill workers get back on their feet and survive any difficult periods of financial instability,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement.

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. If the TAA petition is approved, displaced Irving workers will be eligible for employment training in another job or career, income support, job search allowance, and relocation services for individuals who obtain jobs outside of their normal commuting area.