[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 32050]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12877]



[[Page 32050]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

[TA-W-53,993]


Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. Wooster, OH; Notice of Negative 
Determination on Reconsideration

    On April 2, 2004, the United Steelworkers of America, Local 302L, 
requested administrative reconsideration of the Department's negative 
determination regarding the workers of Newell Rubbermaid, Inc., 
Wooster, Ohio. On May 3, 2004, the Department issued an Affirmative 
Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration for the workers 
and former workers of the subject firm. The notice was published in the 
Federal Register on May 13, 2004 (69 FR 26621). The workers at the 
subject firm produce plastic household goods and home organization 
products (totes, refuse and clear containers) and are not separately 
identifiable by product line.
    The Department denied the initial petition because the 
``contributed importantly'' and shift of production group eligibility 
requirements of Section 222(3) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, 
were not met. The initial investigation revealed that increased imports 
of plastic household goods and home organization products during the 
relevant time period did not contribute importantly to worker 
separations and that the subject company did not shift production 
abroad.
    In the request for reconsideration, the union asserted that the 
customer survey conducted in the initial investigation identified the 
wrong products to be surveyed. The initial customer survey covered 
plastic household goods, including totes, refuse and clear containers. 
The union states that the subject facility ``primarily produces totes 
and clear storage containers * * * along with refuse containers.''
    On reconsideration, the Department contacted the company for 
clarification concerning the types of goods produced at the subject 
facility and whether the product lines were separately identifiable. A 
company official explained that they do not separate workers by lines 
(such as totes and refuse and clear containers) since the machines 
could run almost any product line produced by the plant workers and 
thus the subject workers are not separately identifiable by product 
line. Therefore, the survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor 
aggregated all products produced by the Wooster, Ohio plant as ``Rubber 
Maid Home Products (plastic household goods)'' in order to reflect the 
products produced by the subject plant.

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 Newell Rubbermaid, Inc., Wooster, 
Ohio.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 26th day of May, 2004.
Elliott S. Kushner,
Certifying Officer, Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance.
[FR Doc. 04-12877 Filed 6-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P