Enough with the criticism. Look at how supportive our gov't is of American workers.

[tpsbmam]

Okay, :sarcasm: alert.

We have huge unemployment numbers and it's not getting any better. We have Americans begging for work, losing everything due to long-term unemployment, we have Republicans refusing to support those with long-term unemployment...

At the same time, we provide so many tax loopholes for corporations that many pay no taxes at all. When a corporation bases manufacturing elsewhere, outsources, and so many more anti-American actions, they're rewarded with tax loopholes. And who pays? We all do. But that's not all -- there are other ways in which we pay on top of all of that. The Trade Assistance Agreement is one of those ways.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program was created to provide benefits and support to workers who become unemployed due to the impact of international trade.

First of all, can you frigging believe we have to even have a DOL division dedicated to companies applying for "retraining" employees who lose their jobs thanks to our trade policies? :wtf:

Here is something everyone needs to understand. WE, the taxpayers, pay the salaries for every employee staffing this division. And we pay for "retraining" when employees lose their jobs due to corporate outsourcing, etc. Of course I don't object at all to providing anything for Americans to train/retrain/get an education to help with job prospects -- happy to have my taxes go to those efforts. But we are paying to retrain workers when the corporation shifts operations overseas!! The corporations don't pay for the "retraining" or staffing this division, we do!

So I decided to search just my state, North Carolina, for the time period 1/1/2009 - 12/6/2010. In that time, there were 501 corporate petitions to the TAA program. FIVE HUNDRED ONE IN ONE MEDIUM/SMALL STATE!! That is the number corporations who petitioned to have workers retrained because their jobs were sent overseas or the corporation hemorrhaged because it couldn't compete with imports. Are you fucking kidding me? 501 in not quite 12 months in one state! (From a quick scan, the vast majority of applications were due to the company moving it's operations or part of it's operations overseas.)

I just clicked randomly on a couple of corporations. Here is the determination for Eaton Corporations Industrial Controls Division:

Criterion I has been met because a significant number or
proportion of workers at Eaton was totally or partially
separated, or threatened with such separation.

Criterion II has been met because Eaton has shifted to a
foreign country the supply of engineering support services (or
like or directly competitive services).

Criterion III has been met because the shift of services
to Mexico contributed importantly to worker separations at
Eaton Corporation, Industrial Controls Division, Clayton, North
Carolina.

And here is one for Hanes (Hanesbrands, Inc.)

Criterion I has been met because a significant number or
proportion of the worker group at Hanesbrands-Weeks were
totally or partially separated or threatened with such
separation.

Criterion II has been met because the subject firm has
shifted to foreign counties the production of articles like or
directly competitive with the panty hose and leg blanks
produced by the workers at Hanesbrands-Weeks.

Criterion III has been met because the shift of
production to El Salvador and Honduras contributed importantly
to worker group separations at Hanesbrands-Weeks.

You can search for your state here: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/taa/taa_search_form.cfm (If link doesn't work, go to http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/ and click on "search for a listing of petitions and determinations."

Being "certified" (i.e., approved) for these retraining dollars doesn't automatically mean that workers will ever see the monies. There are plenty of loopholes set up so that states can screw workers out of these programs that provide for training/education, financial support during the retraining process, financial help with COBRA, etc. Here are some of the loopholes:

To receive training paid for under this program, you must meet the following six criteria:

1. No suitable employment is available.
2. The worker would benefit from appropriate training.
3. A reasonable expectation of employment exists.
4. Training is reasonable (sic) available.
5. Worker is qualified to undertake and complete such training.
6. Training is available at a reasonable cost.

Loophole-palooza!

Why the hell isn't Obama making one of his speeches about the unemployment level by embarrassing the hell out of some of these corporations? Is he that beholden to the almighty corporations that he won't stand up and point to one huge reason for our high unemployment? Jesus! (I know the answer -- it was a rhetorical question.)

Why the hell aren't the Democrats as a whole raising hell about this shit? We're being steamrolled by the Republican corporatocracy/plutocracy to give breaks to the wealthy and corporations while this kind of shit goes on. The Republicans blocked any initiative Obama suggested to clamp down on some of the practices that make it beneficial for corporations to move operations overseas, base corporations overseas, or hire foreign workers that displace American workers.

The Democrats are fighting for the long-term unemployed but damn it, why the hell aren't they at microphones all over the country raising holy hell about corporations continuing to pull this shit under this recession with this kind of unemployment? THIS is something Americans of all stripes can understand and, IF they see Democrats fighting this shit on behalf of all Americans, can get behind when they understand that the Dems are fighting FOR us and the Rethuglicans are fighting AGAINST us. But noooooooo, almost dead fucking silence about this crap.

Yeah, I've definitely heard some comments from Dems about this but not nearly enough, not nearly enough! It needs to be blasted out there and kept out there the same way that Republicans get and keep their bullshit memes out there. Dammit, why don't the Dems learn this? NAME the corporations, blast it out state-by-state. Every Democrat from every state should be hammering the corporations BY NAME in their state to highlight what this is doing to state unemployment numbers.

Where the hell are Democratic spines and brains??

[valerief]

1. I'm waiting for my pink slip. It's so depressing. nt

[tpsbmam]

8. I'm so sorry, valerief. This is just damn sucking and I feel like none of our

"leaders" are doing much of anything useful to brighten the futures of the backbones of this country, the workers at all levels...except, of course, CEO's, hedge fund managers and their ilk. I hope your unemployment is brief.

(ed for typo)

[valerief]

11. I doubt it. I'm too old to hire in America. I'm over 25.

It will be forever. If I could only afford to retire. Of course, who can in America?

Maybe I can find work in Tunisia.

[old mark]

2. I applied for paid re-training in the late 1980's and was told I was "too old"...

I later went back to get a degree in Social Work, when I was in my late 40's, using student loans to live on.
I'm 63, retired after several heart attacks, and still psying off my student loans.


mark

[Catherina]

3. Spine, did you say something about spine?

[Hello_Kitty]

4. I checked my state, AZ, and clicked on one of the companies.

Big multinational high tech corp. The affected workers were from a temp agency. Which leads me to wonder if big companies are cycling temps through this TAA program to get the taxpayers to pay for their training?

[tpsbmam]

7. Nothing would surprise me anymore. Was the application

"certified?" We all know corporations will play any game they can get away with. The sad thing is that they have a free ride to pull this crap.

[Hello_Kitty]

9. Yep. eom

[Hannah Bell]

5. kr

[Starry Messenger]

6. k&r

[scarletwoman]

10. K&R