Dear Secretary Chao:
We are writing to you in response to the recent decision by the Department of Labor to certify three groups of software workers for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits, as reported in the Federal Register on April 11, 2006. The Department's decision to allow, for the first time, workers who produce "intangible products," like software, to benefit from TAA represents an important and long-overdue change in the Department's policy.
The Department's decision to extend TAA eligibility to workers who produce software was made only after several years of litigation and represents just a small step towards ensuring that the TAA program meets the needs of today's diverse workforce. In light of the Department's decision to cover these workers, there can be no reason why the Department should not finally support extending TAA benefits to all workers specializing in intangible goods or services.
We have sponsored legislation (H.R. 4156 and S. 1309) to extend TAA benefits to all service sector workers adversely impacted by foreign competition, including information technology (IT) workers, engineers, customer services and call center employees. As globalization continues to spread and the demand for various services and intangible goods continues to change, we urge you to support our efforts to further broaden the eligibility criteria to include service workers.
We look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Senator Max Baucus Ranking Member of Senate Finance Committee
Senator Maria Cantwell Member of Congress - WA
Rep. Charles B. Rangel Ranking Member of House Ways & Means Committee
Rep. Adam Smith Member of Congress - WA
