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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-6871
Up to 350 workers whose livelihoods were frozen by last month's severe
weather and ice storms in Maine will be given temporary jobs to help clean up
and repair their damaged communities under an emergency grant announced today
by Vice President Gore and Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman.
The Maine Department of Labor will receive an emergency grant of up to
$2,052,750 from the U.S. Department of Labor. An initial amount of $685,000 is
being awarded for immediate use, according to Kathryn Higgins, Deputy Secretary
of Labor, who is in Maine today visiting programs in Portland and Lewiston that
assist dislocated workers.
"I want to express my deep concern for the people of Maine," Gore said.
"I hope that this assistance, which is a good example of how our Administration
responds quickly to the needs of the American people, will help workers return
to their jobs as soon as possible, and help Maine's affected communities
achieve a rapid recovery."
The award is authorized under emergency provisions of Title III of the
Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to fund special temporary jobs that would
benefit the public and help dislocated workers resume regular employment. The
program will assist workers in areas that have been declared eligible for
Public Assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Participants will work for up to six months with public or private
non-profit agencies to help with clean-up, repair and restoration efforts.
"This grant will help the people of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin,
Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Oxford, Sagadahoc,
Somerset, Waldo, Washington, York and Aroostook Counties earn a paycheck while
they help rebuild their communities," Herman said. "They have lost much as a
result of the ice storms, but we cannot afford to lose their ability or desire
to work."
The dislocated worker program is a comprehensive retraining approach to
assist workers who have been, or are about to be, laid off for reasons such as
natural disaster, technological change, foreign competition or government
actions. Generally, such workers are eligible if they are unlikely to return to
their previous industry or occupation.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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