JAY – U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins announced Friday that they had sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to support a petition for Trade Adjustment Assistance for nearly 150 displaced workers at Wausau Paper.

The Wisconsin-based company announced in August that it would be permanently shutting down the No. 10 paper machine at its Jay mill, putting nearly 150 workers out of work, by the first of the year.

The last update on the machine shutdown was that it would go down for good Dec. 21.

A trade petition on behalf of millworkers was submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor on Nov. 5.

According to the Department’s Web site, the decision to approve or deny the petition should be received within 40 days after it was received in Washington.

The purpose of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program is to aid workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages decrease as a result of more imports, according to a joint statement issued by Snowe and Collins, both Maine Republicans.

If the trade petition is approved, displaced Wausau Paper workers will be eligible for employment training in another job or career, income support, job search allowance, and relocation services for individuals who obtain jobs outside of their normal commuting area.

“This TAA assistance is critical to help Wausau Paper’s employees get back on their feet during this hardship,” the senators said in their statement. “We will continue to support our fellow Mainers whose lives have been impacted by these layoffs and make sure they receive the aid and resources they need.”

The senators have asked Chao to review the petition in a timely manner to ensure that the workers receive the assistance they need to mitigate their loss of employment and to help reduce negative effects that foreign trade has had on their financial security.

“This assistance is of paramount importance to us, the workers and to the families they support,” the senators told Chao.