The U.S. Department of Labor has provided some good news to 1,100 International Paper employees in southeastern Virginia: the Department has approved job retraining benefits and other assistance for those workers because their jobs are being lost due to foreign trade.

The Franklin mill employs about 1,100 people, and it began shutting-down operations in Franklin last month.

Senator Warner said today:

"This is timely and welcome news for more than a thousand families across southeastern Virginia, and I appreciate the Labor Department's efforts to issue this certification as quickly as possible. This assistance can be a lifeline to these workers who simply need some temporary help as they transition to new jobs in a tough economy."

The TAA program helps workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. The TAA program offers a variety of benefits and services to eligible workers, including job retraining, income support while enrolled full-time in a training program, job search and relocation allowances, a tax credit to help offset the costs of health insurance, and a wage supplement to certain reemployed, trade-affected workers 50 years of age and older.

More information on benefits provided under the TAA program is available here.  The Department of Labor's official certification for the IP employees is below:

Labor Dept's TAA Certification for Franklin International Paper Mill Employees