WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor has informed U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) that workers of Swarovski North America, located in Cranston, are eligible for federal assistance under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) programs.In January, Swarovski North America, a large global producer and distributor of crystal jewelry, announced that it was planning to eliminate 178 jobs at its headquarters in Cranston. In response, on January 31, 2006, Reed sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao requesting worker retraining funds and other assistance for the employees of Swarovski North Americas Cranston plant who have lost their jobs as part of a plan to cut costs and globalize business. Reed stated, With an economy that has not yet fully recovered, this additional federal assistance will give these workers a chance to continue to provide for themselves and their families while receiving help and the training they need to find new jobs.Reed requested additional federal assistance through the TAA program, a program designed to assist workers hurt by foreign competition. TAA funds go towards job training, job-search help, relocation aid and cash to workers who lose their job due to foreign competition. To be eligible for the program the U.S. Labor Department must find that the jobs were lost as a result of foreign competition.