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Department of Labor and Workforce Development
 
Office of the Commissioner

Laid Off Sitka Sound Workers Eligible For Trade Benefits

Jun. 13, 2003
No. 03-20

Juneau: Laid off workers from Sitka Sound Seafoods, located in Yakutat, are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits, Greg O'Claray, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DLWD) announced today. Approximately 40 workers from the Sitka Sound Seafoods processing plant in Yakutat can now apply for TAA retraining, job search and relocation assistance.

Sitka Sound Seafoods is a division of North Pacific Processors, Inc., wholly owned by Marubeni Corporation. On May 13, 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor certified that Sitka Sound Seafoods, who closed their doors in Yakutat due to competition from farmed salmon imports, was eligible for TAA benefits. The certification will expire on May 13, 2005.

All workers who have been, or will be, laid off from Sitka Sound Seafoods between January 21, 2002 and May 13, 2005, are eligible to apply for TAA benefits. Benefits include reemployment and retraining opportunities, job search and career counseling, job placement and relocation allowances.

Workers who were employed by Sitka Sound Seafoods for at least 26 weeks in the past year AND who are eligible for unemployment insurance will also be entitled to weekly Trade Readjustment Allowances, which are income supports, and a health insurance tax credit.

The Department of Labor TAA Office mailed notices to all affected workers on June 11, 2003 to notify them of their eligibility to apply for benefits.

Self-employed fishermen who sold their fish to Sitka Sound Seafoods in 2002 may also be eligible, but will need to file a petition in order to seek certification. The department's TAA office is available to help any fishermen with tips and short-form instructions for petition filing. Petitions can be printed from the TAA website at jobs.alaska.gov/taa.

"We appreciate that the US Department of Labor has fulfilled its commitment to help our displaced fishermen and our salmon-dependent coastal communities with Trade Assistance, "O'Claray said.

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