Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Labor notified Congressman Patrick McHenry that the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition filed by employees of Broyhill Furniture Industries’ corporate offices in Lenoir has been certified. As a result of this certification, all employees of the corporate office who lost their jobs or incurred a reduction in hours on or after April 18, 2004 are eligible for TAA benefits. Corporate office employees who suffer future job losses or reductions in hours up to June 9, 2007 are also qualified for assistance under the certification.

Congressman McHenry had asked the Department of Labor to expedite this petition, which was filed on May 4, 2005, and another petition filed for employees of the Harper and Occasional #1 plants in Lenoir last week. The agency has committed to make every effort to rule on the petition for Harper and Occasional #1 by the end of this month.

Upon learning of the decision, Congressman McHenry said “I am happy that we can now move forward with helping workers who have lost their jobs at Broyhill. Certification of this petition is an important step in helping trade impacted employees of Broyhill’s corporate offices recover from the series of devastating job cuts in Caldwell County.”

The Congressman emphasized that this was only an initial step in the overall process and that he plans to continue to fight for the workers of western North Carolina, “TAA certification is not the final step by any stretch of the imagination. I am working hard with local leaders to stop the loss of manufacturing jobs and to recruit new industry so people who train for new careers under TAA have jobs to enter when they complete their training.”

Broyhill Corporate office employees who believe they are covered under this certified petition are encouraged to contact their local Employment Security Commission (ESC) office to determine if they are eligible for assistance and to obtain help in applying for assistance.