The U.

Monday, January 03, 2000

The U.S. Department of Labor’s decision to grant millions of dollars to help dislocated Cabletron workers pay bills as they seek retraining and education means families won’t have to sacrifice their future.

The grant money will enable them to keep training without fear of foreclosures or debt collectors. And that peace of mind is what the community needed.

Too often, government agencies offer solutions without the resources to back them up. Although there was some delay in the grant’s approval, the department’s go-ahead came just in time to provide those resources in this case.

But the buck should not stop there.

Many other workers face an end to unemployment benefits. Couple that eventuality with Ironton Iron’s impending closure and cutbacks at area companies like Ashland Inc. and potential workers come face-to-face with tougher times than anyone predicted.

That’s why the Department of Labor should continue, waive the rules if need be, and extend unemployment benefits for Cabletron workers and those who will follow from the foundry.

We’re not asking for the moon, just a little more peace of mind – and time to recover.

Our community, and our neighbors, deserve the resources needed to recover.