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Former Weyerhaeuser Employees Offered Job Training Resources

Flathead Job Service hosting workshop to provide information on opportunities

By Beacon STaff
Weyerhaeuser facilities in Columbia Falls on June 22, 2016. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Employees who were laid off by Weyerhaeuser earlier this year are eligible to receive federal resources to help with retraining and job placement, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced this week.

Weyerhaeuser Company closed its lumber and plywood mills in Columbia Falls in August, displacing roughly 100 workers. Another 50-100 administrative positions are expected to be lost at the Cedar Palace by the end of this year.

On Dec. 6, the Flathead Job Service is hosting an informational workshop at Flathead Valley Community College to share the opportunities that are now available to the former wood products workers.

The resources are being offered through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, which Tester shepherded into law a year ago. The federal program provides assistance to manufacturing, agriculture, timber, and service employees who lost work due to foreign trade or imports, according to the law.

“Every Montanan who was laid off by Weyerhaeuser deserves an opportunity to land a new good-paying job at home in the Flathead Valley,” said Tester.  “I’m pleased to have worked with folks on the ground to secure this important job training resource for workers who were unfairly laid off.  I’ll continue working with folks in Columbia Falls and the surrounding communities to ensure they have a renewed shot at success.”

The resources include pre-approved funding for job searches, including mileage and meal expenses; relocation assistance; classroom and on-the-job training assistance; health care tax credits and unemployment benefits.

“There’s really good opportunities under the program,” Laura Gardner with the Flathead Job Service said.

Those who are eligible are encouraged to stay aware of deadlines and other requirements associated with the resources.

Weyerhaeuser, which absorbed Plum Creek in February, currently operates three facilities in Montana: a lumber mill in Kalispell, a plywood plant in Kalispell and a medium-density fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls. There are currently roughly 500 people employed by the company in Montana.

Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the job service at 758-6200. For more information about the TAA, visit www.doleta.gov/tradeact.