10-29-24

 

RAPID RESPONSE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE​

FROM TODD CLARY, USW DIST. 10 RR COORDINATOR

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Good Morning All,

 

I just wanted to give you all an update. SB 365 and SB 1232 have passed the House and Senate and are at the Governor’s office waiting for him to sign.

 

Presented to the Governor – SB 365 (Bartolotta) – Workers’ Compensation Act (amendment), Covering Post Traumatic Stress Injuries (PTSIs) under Workers’ Compensation for First Responders

Presented to the Governor – SB 1232 (Pennycuick) – Workers’ Compensation Act (amendment), Allowing Direct Deposits for WC payments

 

I would like to thank each of you for your hard work, without it, these Bills wouldn’t have passed.  Keep up the good work.  Thank you.

 

 In Solidarity

Todd Clary​​​​​​​​

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10-04-24

 

Workers Don't Want a Handout - They Need a Hand Up

Tell Congress to Reauthorize TAA Now!

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For decades now, we have seen the devastating results unfair trade has on workers and their communities. We’ve pushed for a level playing field and accountability to countries that dump their goods and manipulate our trade laws, but we are far from achieving worker centric trade policy. This means we do all we can to help workers when their facilities close and they are left out in the cold. One of those tools is Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

TAA is a benefit that offers up to two years of robust job training benefits for workers who lose their jobs because of dumped and subsidized imports, changes in tariffs, and trade agreements. According to a study by the U.S. Census Bureau, TAA recipients earn an average of $50,000 more in income over a 10-year period compared to workers who did not participate in the program.

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Currently, workers are unable to access these job training benefits because Congress has not reauthorized the program since its expiration on June 30, 2022. As a result, the Department of Labor cannot issue determinations on the layoff petitions, leaving impacted workers with no assistance. Right now, there are over 134,000 workers, including approximately over 5,700 USW members, who have submitted TAA petitions. These petitions continue to accumulate every day, compounding the frustration and uncertainty experienced by a growing number of impacted workers. This is unacceptable.

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At our conference in May, over 700 Steelworkers lobbied Congress on the reauthorization of TAA. Last week, we returned and Steelworkers from across the country held over fifty meetings with key legislators in Washington, D.C. to share the stories of workers who have both benefited in the past from TAA and of those who are waiting on their petitions to be processed now. Now those Representatives and Senators need to hear from you.

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Tell Congress to Stop Leaving Workers Behind and Reauthorize TAA Now!

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Click HERE or scan the QR code to send a prewritten email to your Members of Congress to urge them to quickly reauthorize TAA.