Tuesday, the Alabama Department of Labor announced that Alabama workers of Nucor Steel in Birmingham may be eligible for benefits under the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TAARA).
Nucor Steel employees in Birmingham, including on-site leased workers from ITAC Solutions, PangeaTwo, Randstad, Peopleready Florida, Inc., and Staffmark, who were engaged in activities related to the production of steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar), may be eligible for the TAARA benefits.
A petition was filed on behalf of workers of Nucor Steel Birmingham, Inc., was certified by the U.S. Department of Labor on September 28, 2018, according to Secretary Fitzgerald Washington, Alabama Department of Labor.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) found that Nucor, which makes rebar, has been materially injured because of imports of rebar from Japan and Turkey. The firm was publicly identified by name by the ITC as a member of a negatively impacted domestic industry. The petition covers periods of unemployment occurring on or after July 7, 2016 through July 7, 2018.
Under the TAARA 2015 Act, displaced workers may be eligible for benefits such as training, job search and relocation assistance, and Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).
For additional information on the HCTC, visit the IRS website at:
www.irs.gov/HCTC.
If workers have exhausted their cash benefits under other state and federal unemployment compensation programs, they could be eligible for additional weekly benefits equivalent to the amount they were receiving under other programs.
To receive Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) benefits, workers must enroll in training within 26 weeks of the certification date or their last qualifying separation or a waiver of the training requirement must be granted by the state Employment Service Division of the Alabama Department of Labor.
Nucor Steel Birmingham, Inc., was also certified for Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). Employees who are 50 years of age and older, who obtain full time employment after their separation from the affected employer, may be eligible for training and allowances under the RTAA program.
President Donald J. Trump (R) has repeatedly accused foreign steelmakers of dumping steel and aluminum in the U.S. markets and has imposed 25 percent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. While American steelmakers are enthusiastic about the administration’s aggressive stance on trade, American manufacturers claim they have been adversely impacted by the higher steel and aluminum prices.
Sec. Washington said that potentially eligible employees will be notified individually as soon as they are identified.
For more information, contact Tara Hutchison (334) 242-8616 or Kelly Betts (334) 353-1548.
