Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that the former employees of Specialty Filaments in Middlebury who have not been rehired by current management are now eligible to apply for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Last January, more than 170 employees at Specialty Filaments lost their jobs when the company applied for bankruptcy due to competition with cheap Chinese imports. Earlier this month, the Thomas Monahan Company purchased Specialty Filaments and agreed to rehire many of the Specialty Filaments employees. Sanders said, “The very good news is that most workers at Specialty Filaments won’t need this Trade Adjustment Assistance because they will continue to be employed with the new owners of the facility, the Thomas Monahan Company. Fortunately, those who are not rehired will be provided important federal assistance as they look for new job opportunities.” TAA assistance is only approved when the federal government finds that the jobs were moved overseas. TAA benefits include extended unemployment payments of up to 78 weeks; up to two years of job training, career counseling assistance, job placement, and relocation assistance. Older workers, for whom retraining may not be appropriate, will also be able to accept alternative benefits more appropriate for their circumstances.