Remington Arms Co. gets trade certified

Means help for workers displaced by shuttered city location

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — Former employees of the Remington Arms Co. Inc., which displaced more than 200 employees when it closed its Gardner location in April, will be offered additional job training and extended benefits, now that the company has been named “trade certified.” Mayor Mark Hawke said the certification, which was made possible through the combined efforts of Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Congressman John Olver of Amherst, will make the transition into new jobs much smoother for the displaced workers. “We really started fighting for this on the second day that we heard that they were closing, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Gov. Patrick were able to get the paperwork done within the first week and then Congressman Olver had a great effort in helping at the federal level,” said Mr. Hawke. The training program, which will assist the displaced employees enter into their next occupation, will be offered through Mount Wachusett Community College, according to Mr. Hawke. “What this certification specifically means is that we will provide trade adjustment benefits which will allow for additional training dollars administered by the Dislocated Workers Service, which is a division of Mount Wachusett Community College,” said Mr. Hawke. “These employees will be tested for adult basic education levels and assessed to see what training would best suit their educational levels as well as where their interests lie.” The training programs, which will be offered at no cost to the employees, are expected to line them up for new jobs in high-demand fields, and if necessary, will allow them to train for a longer period of time with the same benefits. “The training programs are for what are considered for high-demand occupations and there will also be additional unemployment monies for those individuals who are still in training beyond their regular employment claims,” said Mr. Hawke. “Generally the normal employment claim is 26 weeks, but if you have to retrain a worker from a machinist for a shotgun into a technician for American Superconductor, maybe that is a yearlong process and we will extend their benefits for as long as they need to complete training.” oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 8/1/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 181)