WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that workers at the Ceco Building Systems facility in Columbus, Miss., are now eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which can include federal cash payments for 2 1/2 years while they are enrolled in paid training for a new career.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to supporting all of the nation's workers -- including those who lose their jobs because their companies relocate abroad," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.  "Through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, we are leveraging opportunities for displaced workers to acquire new occupational skills, which will help them secure good jobs in emerging areas of their local economies."

Approximately 5,500 workers from companies in 16 states -- Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin  -- were added to the list of workers eligible for the additional assistance.

Workers covered by these latest TAA certifications will be contacted by their respective states with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who apply may receive case management and re-employment services, training in new occupational skills and trade readjustment allowances that provide income support for workers enrolled in training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances, and the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

Workers 50 years of age and older may elect to receive Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). If a worker obtains new employment at wages less than $55,000 and less than those earned in adversely affected employment, the RTAA program will pay 50 percent of the difference between the old wage and the new wage, up to $12,000 over a two-year period. RTAA participants may also be eligible for retraining and the HCTC.

For more information on TAA and the range of Department of Labor employment and training services, visit http://www.doleta.gov.