Upcoming informational meetings for displaced workers of Interstate Brands Corporation

TO: Former Employees of Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC)/Hostess Brands, Inc.

in Cedar Rapids and Marion, IA

FROM: Lindsay Anderson, Trade Act Program Coordinator

RE: Certification for Reemployment Services under the Trade Act of 2011

Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC)/Hostess Brands, Inc. has been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor for reemployment services under the Trade Act of 2011 (Petition #82165-N). This certification covers workers who have experienced layoff due to lack of work from 11/19/2011 to the present. In an effort to assist you with understanding the possible Trade Act reemployment services available to you upon determination of your individual eligibility, an informational meeting has been scheduled for your convenience.

The informational meeting will be held on Friday, April 5, 2013, in Room 37 at the Cedar Rapids IowaWORKS Center: 4444 First Avenue NE, Suite #436, Cedar Rapids, IA. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. The meeting is scheduled to last approximately 2.5 hours. The length generally depends on the number of questions.

This meeting will provide you with an overview of the possible Trade Act of 2011 reemployment services (such as classroom training, on-the-job training, job relocation, wage subsidy for workers 50 years of age or older, Health Coverage Tax Credit, etc.) available to eligible individuals, as is appropriate, by working with IowaWORKS representatives on the development of reemployment plans. We will also review the timeframes and any deadlines for possibly accessing the services. (Note: Local IowaWORKS representatives will also be in attendance at this meeting.)

In addition, we will complete the initial Trade Act eligibility paperwork, so please be sure to bring a pen to the meeting. This paperwork is very important because some of the services do not have expiration dates, as long as Congress continues to fund this program or makes no contrary legislative changes. If you do not use any of the services at this time, you may access them, as is appropriate, by working with any Workforce Development Office in the continental United States, but only if your initial eligibility paperwork and determination of your eligibility are on file in Iowa's State Trade Office.

Note: If you cannot make arrangements to attend this meeting, you may access the initial Trade Act eligibility paperwork and information regarding the possible Trade Act reemployment services by calling your local IowaWORKS office and arranging a meeting with a representative who is familiar with the Trade Act program.

If you have any questions in the interim, you may reach me at 515-281-9007.