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$1.2 M Federal Grant for Wisconsin Workers

October 16th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $1.2 million grant to help beleaguered workers in Wisconsin. Funds of $420,000 of the $1,220,000 will be released immediately to assist workers displaced by the recent flooding in western and central Wisconsin.

On September 6, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared the Wisconsin counties of Crawford, La Crosse, Richland, Sauk and Vernon eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance program.

According to the University of Wisconsin Extension Service, area farmers were hit hard by the flood in the west and central regions, while other parts of the state continue to suffer a drought. Both conventional and organic vegetable growers were especially hurt by the heavy rainfall and swollen rivers. Some federal assistance is also available for farmers in afflicted areas.

The heavy rains saturated soils in the region and in many cases floodwater deposited sediment on crop fields. A number of farmers have filed crop insurance claims, particularly for damaged corn and soybean crops.

The federal funds will be used to create temporary jobs to aid in cleanup and recovery efforts.

“This $1.2 million grant will provide dislocated workers with temporary jobs helping Wisconsin communities affected by the recent flooding,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.

The Labor Department grant, awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, will provide temporary jobs to workers affected by the recent flooding. Other dislocated workers and the long-term unemployed are also eligible for jobs under the grant. The jobs will involve the cleanup, restoration and humanitarian efforts in the areas affected by the floods.

This is just the most recent in a wave of emergency grants for workers in the past few months.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provided a grant earlier this year to almost 250 workers in Rhode Island who were laid off. As a grant of more than $1.2 million, it helped the 246 employees who had worked at the corporate offices of Brooks Eckerd in Warwick, Rhode Island, after Rite Aid acquired Brooks Eckerd.

The DOL offers what are called National Emergency Grants, or NEG’s, and they are awarded at the discretion of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao. Whenever a layoff or plant closing creates a need beyond a state’s capacity for assistants, that state may apply for one of the NEG’s. Regular NEG grants are available when a layoff affects 50 or more workers, when the layoffs are industry-wide within a certain region, or when a small town or rural community is hit hard by layoffs.

When the O’Sullivan Industries plant in Lamar, Missouri closed, the workers received an award of nearly $1.1 million. In Illinois, $250,000 in grant money went to a program called SI WORKS aimed at boosting economic development as well as opportunities for workers in 20 counties within the southern part of the state.

Two grants totaling more than $1.94 million will help workers in both Massachusetts and Missouri. Those grants were designed to help provide job resources to workers who lost jobs because of plant closings. The workers, according to the DOL, also qualify for additional financial help under what is called the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, or TAA.

In Minnesota, the DOL provided a $3 million grant for temporary jobs and benefits for workers in parts of the state hit by flash floods.

Secretary Chao pointed to a grant of more than $2 million. The funds went to 400 workers laid off by Micron Technology, Inc., of Boise Idaho. Of the total, the DOL immediately turned over $847,538 to help those workers who were dislocated by the layoffs.

Secretary Chao said the grant will offer the workers “skills training, career counseling and other employment services to help them find and succeed in new jobs.”