Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman announced Monday laid-off workers from the Georgia-Pacific manufacturing plant in Green Bay will receive federal dollars to get back into the workforce.
Doyle said the employees will be eligible to receive up to a combined $15 million in federal funds. Each worker that will be laid off could see $12,000 in assistance for job training and schooling. A laid-off employee could also obtain up to two years unemployment payments of $329 per week.
"This should give the workers access to very intense training and educations benefits, so they can find a new job," Doyle press secretary Melanie Fonder said.
Georgia-Pacific, a company that fabricates building materials, said last week it would lay off 850 employees from its U.S. workforce, a move predicted to save the company $100 million annually for the next two years. Wisconsin will shoulder the brunt of the layoffs; in the Green Bay area alone, 380 workers will lose their jobs.
"My heart goes out to all of the workers and their families affected by this decision, and we're going to do all that we can to help them continue to provide for their families, get back on their feet, and most importantly remain in the workforce," Doyle said in a release.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, a federal program that provides assistance to Americans whose jobs were displaced by increased importation of goods in the country, is the source of the funding for employees affected by the cut. Laid-off workers can get TAA benefits through any of Wisconsin's 78 job centers — the funding would also provide money for tuition and books for those seeking schooling in order to obtain employment.
"They are entitled to these additional services so that we can get them reconnected to work just as quickly as possible," Rose Lynch, communications director for the Wisconsin DWD, said.
The workers will be laid off sometime later this fall, Lynch said, and the DWD is "poised" to help the workers get through the layoffs with as little economic impact to the area as possible.
"The employees have not yet been laid off, so we're able to proactively start working to minimize any amount of time they are out of work," she added.
This type of assistance is on par with any other response the state would have for layoffs in Wisconsin, Lynch said. However, TAA money could only be used to help workers whose jobs have been affected by importation from other countries, she added.
The amount of benefits each worker will receive depends on how quickly the person can get back into the workforce.
"Our goal is to get people into family-sustaining jobs," Lynch said, adding she hopes the workers can get into "high-wage, high-demand" employment. "But everyone is going to be different — some folks maybe can go into a new job rather rapidly, but others may need more retraining."
