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Today is February 24, 2004 |
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February
25, 2004
Congressmen Propose Retraining Benefits for Jobless IT
WorkersWashTech News
By D. David
Beckman
SEATTLE, Wash. — Two Washington state lawmakers
plan to introduce a bill this week that will extend training
benefits to information technology workers who have lost their jobs
as a result of offshore outsourcing.
"Outsourcing has
exploded on the U.S. economy," said Rep. Jay Inslee, who added that
Congress must act this year to help dislocated American workers
obtain retraining.
Inslee and Rep. Adam Smith, both
Democrats, announced at a Friday press conference that they are
working with Rep. Charles Rangel of New York to present a measure
that would extend Trade Adjustment Assistance to high-tech workers.
TAA currently provides tuition assistance, job training, extended
unemployment benefits and health care assistance to manufacturing
and agricultural workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign
trade.
"The reason we're updating (TAA) now is that we're
having almost as many service sector workers losing their jobs to
foreign competition as manufacturing workers," said Smith. "The
whole idea behind Trade Adjustment Assistance was to help retrain
(workers) for jobs that are still here in the U.S. so they can get
employed and keep our economy moving."
The new proposal will
also cover other displaced service workers who were employed in the
insurance, financial and marketing sectors.
Smith called the
proposed updates a critical part of the new economy.
In order
to become eligible for TAA benefits, workers must be able to show
that they lost their jobs due to foreign trade.
TAA benefits
include payments for training and tuition, employment counseling and
job development services, job search expense reimbursement for
expensed incurred outside the worker's local commuting area, job
relocation reimbursement, extended benefits for up to 104 weeks
beyond normal unemployment benefits and tax credits covering up to
65 percent of COBRA health insurance premiums.
"This is not
the cure-all of this problem," Inslee noted. "There are many other
things that we need to do to keep the jobs here in the first
place."
Inslee said the U.S. tax code must be revised so that
there are no disincentives for companies to keep jobs
here.
"One corporation last year reduced its tax burden by
millions of dollars and told stock market analysts they did so by
outsourcing jobs overseas," said Inslee.
Another strategy
Smith and Inslee want congress to adopt is to increase research and
development programs for high tech jobs, especially for those that
involve searching for new forms of energy. Part of that program
should include incentives to increase the number of math, science
and engineering graduates in the United States.
Smith said
whether U.S. residents are ready or not, they must be ready for
changes in the new economy. It would be a mistake, he said, to
create policies that would eliminate offshore outsourcing.
"We've got to be ready for it. Right now, we're
not."
David Beckman is a freelance journalist who
covers tech labor issues for WashTech News. You can send him your
comments at dbeckman@davidbeckman.com
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