Cicilline Announces Federal Help for Dell Health Care Employees

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tory Elmore, GoLocalProv News Contributor

U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approved Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) -- a program designed to provide reemployment services and benefits to workers who have lost jobs due to foreign competition -- to former Dell Health Care Services employees in Providence.

The Dell Health Care employees worked in supply information management, application development, and maintenance and claims processing, but many lost their jobs when the company shifted work to India. The TAA certification qualifies these workers for benefits like job placement assistance, occupational training, additional weeks of income support, and reimbursement for most relocation expenses if they find new employment outside the local area.

"Help is finally on the way," said Cicilline. "As our nation continues to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, we have unfinished business in cleaning up our trade agreements so that they are fair to American workers who play by the rules but are all too often undercut by nations who choose to cheat in an attempt to get ahead."

The TAA ruling came as a result of a DOL investigation into a petition filed on behalf of the Dell Health Care Services employees. The DOL found that the workers' situation was in compliance with several TAA-qualifying guidelines including "a significant shift by Dell to a foreign country in the supply of services like or directly competitive with those supplied by Dell."

Several on-site leased workers affected by layoffs will also receive TAA benefits. All workers laid off on or after October 1, 2009 and through February 10, 2013 -- two years after the date of certification -- are eligible for TAA.

"Trade adjustment assistance is unfortunately necessary to rebuild our local economy, making sure workers have the resources they need to compete in a global economy," Cicilline said.
 

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