Legislators announce grant to help laid-off area workers

Area workers who lost their jobs as a result of the Dana Corp. closure in Cape Girar-deau will have new avenues for help finding new employment or training, according to announcements from U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, and McCaskill, D-Mo., both sent out news releases on the National Emergency Grant funding. The grant, with an initial award of $482,998 that could grow to $803,340, will focus on Dana Corp. employees and Rowe Furniture workers in Poplar Bluff, Mo., who were thrown out of work in November 2006 when their factory closed.

Workers from both plants have been certified by the U.S. Labor Department as eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance, which includes tuition assistance for education and job training, and temporary income support, according to a release issued by the labor department.

The latest grant was awarded to the Missouri Division of Workforce Development and will provide services not covered under the TAA program, such as assessment, counseling, case management and other support.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor's discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state's ability to meet specific guidelines.

"These funds come at a critical time for families affected by the closure of two major employers in the Eighth Congressional District," Emerson said in her statement. "This grant will be put to good use to strengthen our workforce in the Poplar Bluff and Cape Girar-deau areas."

According to the statement issued by McCaskill, up to 295 families will be eligible for services under the grant.

The Dana Corp. plant closed earlier this year, laying off about 200 workers. "We need to do everything we can to help these workers recover and find new jobs," McCaskill said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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