Free Training For Those Who Lose Their Jobs Because Of Increased Trade With Mexico or Canada

NAFTA is not a dirty word, but a lot of U.S. workers swear it is a plan to put them out of work and ship their jobs where labor costs are cheaper – Canada, but more significantly to Mexico and other Latin American countries. In a dog-eat-dog global economy, there are no real borders. If you were laid off or lost your job because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the government wants to help you find a new one, and probably one that pays you more than your last job. The NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program is like a job skills and retraining SWAT team geared to provide rapid and early response to the threat of unemployment. The program includes on-site services to let workers know they are eligible; assessment of skills; financial and personal counseling; career counseling; job placement assistance; child care; transportation; income support for up to 52 weeks after the worker has exhausted unemployment compensation while the worker is enrolled in training; relocation allowance; and more. For more information, contact your local employment services office in the blue pages of your phone book, or Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance, Employment and Training Assistance, U.S. Department of Labor, Room C4318, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210; 202-219-5555; {www.doleta.gov}.