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Letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao

Date: July 7, 2006
Issues: Labor Unions


7/7/06

The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, Secretary

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20210

Dear Secretary Chao:

We write to you concerning the approximately 475 mill workers who have recently lost their jobs at the Georgia Pacific (GP) Paper Mill in Old Town, Maine. We appreciate your rapid response in approving the Trade Adjustment Assistance petition filed by the workers earlier this month.

We have been informed by the Maine Department of Labor that a proposal for a National Emergency Grant (NEG) has been electronically filed in your office to aid in the cost of providing unemployment services to the affected Georgia Pacific workers. The request is for $755,338 to provide support services to the unemployed workers at GP and will support general administration and project monitoring, staffing and operating expenses to meet the additional demand on the system. Due to this layoff announcement, we urge you to promptly review this NEG proposal and arrive at a favorable decision as soon as possible, allowing the Maine Department of Labor to continue to assist these workers with unemployment services.

Again, thank you for your timely response to the Trade petition for the workers at Georgia Pacific. We look forward to learning of the results of your review of this NEG proposal.

Sincerely,

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, United States Senator

SUSAN M. COLLINS, United States Senator

http://snowe.senate.gov/news.htm

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