Navistar employees, contractors will receive millions in assistance

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Good news for Navistar employees. Fort Wayne's mayor, Tom Henry, announced 1,400 of them are eligible for upwards of $7 million dollars in assistance.

Navistar employees like Craig Randolph now have resources to re-train for new jobs or seek higher education to hopefully keep their current ones. Randolph said many of the jobs at Navistar have been outsourced.

"Things were being sent off site, overseas,” Lead Designer at Navistar Craig Randolph said.

That's why 1,400 Navistar employees and contractors are eligible for upwards of $7 million dollars in Trade Adjustment Assistance . They can use it for furthering their education, income assistance and health insurance.

Mayor Henry said it wasn't easy getting it from the U.S. Department of Labor. Employees were originally denied in February. But Randolph said he never lost hope.

"It was extremely disappointing when the initial denial came through. But I knew we had a good strong case and we just needed to work a little harder to put it together and get it in front of the right people."

Mayor Henry said it’s rare a decision by the U.S. Department of Labor's reversed.

"They (U.S. Department of Labor) overturned their decision. Not only did they grant it (assistance) for the employees who were out there working on a regular basis but contract employees as well which was really an unusual move,” Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry said.

Trade Adjustment Assistance will help people like Randolph secure a job within Navistar -which means he'd probably have to move- or help him stay here in northeast Indiana and find another job.

"They've re-written my job description. And if I wanted to apply for the same job I hold today I need a bachelor’s degree and I don't have it. Going back to school to complete that degree would be huge for me right now,” Randolph said.

Mayor Henry said the goal's to keep as many of those Navistar employees working and living in northeast Indiana as possible.