[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 72 (Tuesday, April 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 18264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9147]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

[TA-W-50,016]


Laird Techonolgies, Delaware Watergap, PA; Notice of Negative 
Determination on Reconsideration

    By application of February 11, 2003, a petitioner requested 
administrative reconsideration of the Department's negative 
determination regarding eligibility to apply for Trade Adjustment 
Assistance (TAA), applicable to workers and former workers of the 
subject firm. The denial notice was signed on February 3, 2003, and 
will soon be published in the Federal Register.
    The petition for the workers of Laird Technologies, Delaware 
Watergap, Pennsylvania was denied because the ``contributed 
importantly'' group eligibility requirement of section 222(3) of the 
Trade Act of 1974, as amended, was not met. The ``contributed 
importantly'' test is generally demonstrated through a survey of 
customers of the workers' firm. The survey revealed that none of the 
respondents increased their purchases of imported metal stampings.
    The petitioner states that the Department did not address 
allegations indicated in the petition of the subject firm as a 
``secondarily'' affected firm. The petitioner further states that a 
list of trade certified firms that were also subject firm customers was 
attached to the petition.
    Upon review of the original investigation, it appears that the 
Department overlooked the petitioners' assertion that they acted as an 
upstream supplier to firms listed on an attached page that were 
allegedly trade certified. A company official was contacted in regard 
to this list of customers in order to establish which facility 
locations may have been customers of the subject firm in the relevant 
period, and the amount of business that these customers accounted for 
at the subject firm. Of the listed firms that were revealed as trade 
certified, the customer sales data provided by the company official 
revealed that these customers cumulatively accounted for a negligible 
amount of the customer base, and thus did not contribute to layoffs at 
the subject firm.
    Furthermore, as established in the original investigation, the 
preponderance in sales, production and employment declines are 
attributed to the subject firm's shifting a portion of production that 
services the export market, and therefore is unrelated to import 
impact.
    In conclusion, the ``upstream supplier'' group eligibility 
requirement of section 222(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, was 
not met.

Conclusion

    After reconsideration, I affirm the original notice of negative 
determination of eligibility to apply for worker adjustment assistance 
for workers and former workers of Laird Technologies, Delaware 
Watergap, Pennsylvania.

    Signed at Washington, DC this 2nd day of April, 2003.
Edward A. Tomchick,
Director, Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance.
[FR Doc. 03-9147 Filed 4-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P