Former CR Compressors workers may be eligible for benefits

Former employees of CR Compressors, LLC located in Hartselle who were engaged in activities related to the production of air conditioning compressors, may be eligible for benefits under the federal Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009 (TGAAA) according to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

A petition filed on behalf of workers of CR Compressors, LLC in Hartselle, Alabama, was certified by the U.S. Department of Labor on Dec. 6, 2010.

The U.S. Department of Labor found that the workers may have become unemployed as a result of increased imports. The petition covers periods of unemployment occurring on or after Oct. 1, 2009 and before the termination date of Dec. 6, 2012. Under the Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009, displaced workers may be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits such as training, job search and relocation assistance, and Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

For additional information on the HCTC, they can call toll free 866-628-HCTC (4282), or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov (IRS Keyword: HCTC).

If workers have exhausted their cash benefits under other state and federal unemployment compensation programs, they could be eligible for additional weekly benefits equivalent to the amount they were receiving under other programs. In order to receive Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) benefits, workers must be enrolled in training the later of 26 weeks after the certification date or after their last qualifying separation or a waiver of the training requirement must be granted by the state Employment Service Division of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

CR Compressors, LLC in Hartselle was also certified for Re-employment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). Employees who are 50 years of age and older, who obtain work after their separation from the affected employer, may be eligible for allowances under the RTAA program.

Tom Surtees, director for the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, said that potentially eligible individuals will be notified individually as soon as they are identified.