Economic Adjustment Initiative

NELP's economic adjustment initiative is focused on responding to job losses flowing from the restructuring of the Midwest's auto industry.  This page includes information regarding options for responding more effectively to economic dislocation, preserving manufacturing jobs, and Trade Adjustment Assistance. Documents include conference presentations, materials, and links about better policies for responding to economic dislocation. 

NELP and a number of partners gathered together for a Great Lakes Economic Revitalization Summit in April 2008 in Cleveland, OH. Materials from that conference are now available. Click Here.

Economic Dislocation Resources:

Manufacturing Better Manufacturing in Michigan, by Dan Luria, Vice President, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. Powerpoint presentation concerning the identification and support of good small manufacturing firms through state and regional policies. (March 29, 2007).

Back on Track: 16 Promising Practices to Help Dislocated Workers, Businesses and Communities, by Bill Schweke and Will Lambe, CFED.  In-depth report by North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center that surveys a range of good workforce and economic development policies put into place by states and localities facing job losses. (September 19, 2006)

Michigan Economic Summit Presentations and Materials:

"Economic Change and Dislocation," presentation by John C. Austin, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Vice-Chair, Michigan Board of Education. Keynote presentation focusing on the challenges and strengths of the Great Lakes region as it faces the restructuring of the auto industry and manufacturing. (June 21, 2006)

"Lessons from North Carolina," presentation by Roger Shackleford, Executive Director, North Carolina Department of Commerce. Discusses the use of community mobilization to augment government responses to industry reorganizations in North Carolina. (June 21, 2006)

"Employee Ownership as a Way to Avoid Layoffs in Michigan," presentation by John Logue, Director, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, Kent, Ohio. Presentation on the potential of employee ownership to save jobs in certain situations and specifics on how that has worked in Ohio. (June 21, 2006)

"Strengthening Michigan's Manufacturing Workplaces: Early Warning and Layoff Aversion," presentation by Tom Croft, Executive Director, Steel Valley Authority, Duquesne, PA. How a nonprofit that evolved out of the plant closings in the steel industry has developed early warning and layoff aversion strategies in Pennsylvania. (June 21, 2006)

The Layoff Aversion Guidebook: Summary by Steel Valley Authority. A summary of the theory and practice of layoff aversion and the lessons learned around the country. (June 21, 2006)

Related Materials on Responding to Economic Dislocation:

WARN: The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. In the summer of 2007, the Toledo Blade published a 4-part story and other materials regarding the shortcomings of this federal law that was intended to provide workers with prior notice of plant closings and large layoffs. The review this series go to this link to the newspaper's website: http://toledoblade.com/assets/swf/TO22897710.SWF 

"State Policy and Funding Models for Incumbent Worker Training." Presentation by Jason Walsh, State Policy Director of The Workforce Alliance. Overview of best state practices regarding providing and funding incumbent worker training in U.S. (March 29, 2007).

Trade Adjustment Assistance Information and Help:

TAA Certification Manual by Rick McHugh and Phil Gilliam (2nd Edition, August 2006). Our manual will take you step-by-step through the process of getting certified for Trade Adjustment Assistance with concrete examples. The Appendix has sample cover letters and U.S. DOL forms used to process certification petitions. 2nd Edition in now available.

NELP Testimony on Trade Adjustment Assistance (March 26, 2007). NELP testifies on key issues in the trade adjustment assistance reauthorization.

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers and the 8/16 Week Rule: A Pitfall for Workers. This factsheet explains the 8/16 week deadline for enrollment in TAA training or obtaining a training waiver. Too many workers lose rights to training with income support as a result of this rule. Protect your rights by reading our factsheet. Posted October 29, 2006.

NELP Comments on Proposed TAA Regulations. In response to the Labor Department's proposed regulations, NELP's comments (authored by TAA coordinator Lindsay Webb and Midwest Coordinator Rick McHugh) reflect concerns of advocates regarding TAA's integration with WIA and a shift in program focus from reemployment in suitable work toward rapid reemployment. Filed October 24, 2006.

TAA Petition. Download the U.S. Dept. of Labor TAA petition form. Use this revised petition, issued in December 2005 to seek eligibility for TAA for workers affected by imports or offshoring of jobs.

TAA Petition en Espanol. This is the revised TAA petition in Spanish.

U.S. Department of Labor Website on Trade Adjustment Assistance. This website has background information on TAA for workers, including information on filing for TAA and program requirements after certification. You can also track the status of TAA petitions online.

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms. This website has information on Trade Adjustment Assistance for firms, a separate TAA program that provides assistance for domestic manufacturing firms hurt by imports. TAA for firms is administered by the U.S. Commerce Department and implemented by a network of nonprofit business service organizations, including the Great Lakes Trade Adjustment Assistance Center in Ann Arbor, which covers Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.

Links to Economic Dislocation Research:

North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center has a Rural Dislocated Worker Initiative it began in 2004. Its website includes many resources, including research papers, interesting links, and materials addressing responses to economic dislocation and globalization in North Carolina. We especially recommend the comprehensive papers under the research tab prepared for the Rural Center by our friend William Schweke of CFED. http://www.ncruralcenter.org/rdwi/index.html.

The Workforce Alliance is a leading national voice for stakeholders of WIA programs, including one-stop operators, trainers, employers, state agency staff, community stakeholders, local and state board members, and others. Its website offers updates regarding federal budget and legislative developments, publications on WIA programs, and TWA research. http://www.workforcealliance.org.

Research and Background on Manufacturing and Auto Sector Crisis:

Policy Matters Ohio has used Trade Adjustment Assistance program data to document some of the adverse impact of trade on Ohio's economy and workforce. The report, International Trade and Job Loss in Ohio: 2007, is available at http://www.policymattersohio.org/trade.htm.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission conducted a hearing on "China's Impact on the U.S. Auto and Auto Parts Industries" on July 17, 2006 in Dearborn, Michigan. The testimony of labor leaders, business executives, government officials, and experts is available on the Commission's website. http://www.uscc.gov/hearings/2006hearings/hr06_07_17.php.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago-Detroit Branch held a conference entitled "The Supplier Industry in Transition: The New Geography of Auto Production" on April 18 and 19, 2006. The conference featured economists, geographers, industry participants, and labor leaders discussing the ongoing transformations in the auto supplier sector. To view the conference presentations, click on http://www.chicagofed.org/news_and_conferences/conferences_and_events/2006_auto_agenda.cfm.

Minority members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, under the leadership of ranking member George Miller, conducted an "e-hearing" beginning in February 2006 on the threat presented by the auto industry restructuring on middle class jobs and affected communities. Statements and testimony from affected workers, members of Congress, public officials, and others are collected online at http://edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/labor_autocrisis.shtml.

Keep In Touch:

For more information about our Economic Adjustment Initiative, contact: Rick McHugh, Midwest Coordinator, rmchugh@nelp.org, (734) 369-5616; Lynn Minick, Workforce Development Specialist, lminick@nelp.org, (317) 838-9220; or Lindsay Webb,TAA Coordinator, lwebb@nelp.org, (734) 369-5615 or (734) 731-4678.