By JEANNE HARRIS

Editor's note:
Jeanne Harris is an AAPG member who participated in a Career Transition Workshop at the recent AAPG Leadership Conference.

Import Level Makes Aid Available

Federal and state programs are available for both employers and employees who have experienced or who are considering layoffs.

The increase in oil and gas imports that have contributed to very low oil and gas prices make most laid off oil and gas workers eligible for two federal programs.

• The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAA) is for workers who lose their jobs due to foreign import competition.
• The North American Free Trade Agreement-Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program (NAFTA-TAA) is for workers who lose their jobs due to import competition from Mexico or Canada.

A one-page petition must be filled out by a company or a group of three or more workers who have been laid off. This is then reviewed by a fact-finding group to determine if imports contributed significantly to job reductions.

Amoco, Gulf Canada and others already have applied and been approved. Once approved, the workers can apply for assistance through TAA. These programs are administered by each state.

TAA provides support for:

• 4 Retraining.
  
  You may qualify for up to 104 weeks of actual instruction at a total cost of up to $15,000, which covers tuition, fees, books, tools and necessary supplies.
  
  
• 4 Job search allowance.
  
  TAA will reimburse 90 percent of the cost of a job search to commute (over 50 miles) to attend scheduled, verifiable interviews, up to a total cumulative amount of $800.
  
  
• 4 Relocation allowance.
  
  The relocation allowance covers reimbursement of 90 percent of total costs to relocate you and your family to a maximum of 18,000 pounds of household goods and a lump sum allowance of up to $800.
  
  
• 4 Qualifying for Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA).
  
  TRA is a weekly allowance payable that extends "unemployment benefits" after they have been exhausted under normal criteria. The basic benefit period is 104 weeks -- however, the total amount of basic TRA is only 52 times your weekly benefit less the total amount of unemployment for which you are eligible.
  
  You are eligible to receive additional TRA provided you are engaged in TAA-approved training. Additional TRA is payable for up to 26 consecutive weeks, until training is completed.

The TAA and TRA federal funds are administered through the states. State contacts are:

Colorado:
Ron Busby: (303) 620-4201, and
Bob Underzuber: (303) 620-4207.

Louisiana:
Claris Duke (504) 342-2938, and
Patricia Moore (504) 342-2837.

Oklahoma:
Rick Smith (405) 557-7241.

Texas:
Harry Crawford (512) 463-2227, and
Debbie Cartwright (512) 463-2580.

For Information in other states for TAA/NAFTA and TRA contacts call (202) 219-4756; or write the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Trade Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Room C4318, Washington, D.C. 20210.

State governments also may provide support. In Colorado, the Dislocated Workers Program (303-620-4200) assists both employers and employees. It can provide many of the programs companies typically pay outplacement services to provide, such as unemployment survival workshops, job search workshops, job clubs, assessment and testing, classroom and on-the-job training and funds for retraining as well.

They assist the employer in setting up the most appropriate form for a "severance package" and in providing all of these assistance programs to their former employees.

An additional plus for the employee is that these facilities are there for the long haul and not just for a few weeks or months.