New Lafayette plant unlikely to affect local GE layoffs
By Rick Seltzer, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
GE Appliances cut positions at its
Laid-off workers' severance packages included up to a year of health and life insurance. Those workers also received something that could come in handy at other GE plants: preferential placement status.
That status basically means the company will hire them at other domestic GE manufacturing plants before it hires someone else off the street. And GE expects to hire more than 200 people within five years at the new
But laid-off
For starters, the
Perhaps more importantly, though, the positions in
Laid-off
A number of other GE locations are currently hiring as well, according to Thomas. He said he would rather call workers back in
"My ultimate goal is to get them back here in
Tax breaks for the
"The thing I keyed in on was what brought
Thomas is exploring possibilities for bringing other type of work to the
Even if no new developments come on that front, laid-off
The
The TAA program is for workers displaced by foreign imports and shifts in production out of the country. Records show GE officials and the union petitioned for the employers to be eligible for the program.
GE has made the case that side-by-side refrigerators being produced outside of the country have driven down price points in
TAA assistance includes training, job search and relocation allowances and re-employment. It can also include weekly trade re-adjustment allowances paid to workers after unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted.
Many laid-off employees are taking advantage of the benefits, according to Thomas. In many cases, they're working with schools and colleges in the area, he said.
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