Stimulus Helps Insulation Workers

"NEWARK, Ohio -- Tracy Posey is No. 11. Until she was laid off a year ago, she worked on an assembly line, packing fiberglass insulation the consistency of cotton candy. She found work, but longs for her old job at the Owens Corning factory where "glass wool" was invented more than 75 years ago.

While she clings to the 11th spot on her union's seniority list, Owens Corning has been lobbying hard for federal stimulus dollars in Washington and Columbus. It has cited the Newark plant and workers such as Posey to attract the maximum sums possible for the prosaic work of defending attics against summer heat and winter cold.

With $5 billion allocated to low-income U.S. households for energy-efficiency upgrades, the Toledo-based company persuaded two Ohio Democrats --  Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Zack Space -- to add a line to the stimulus bill that could make it easier to spend money on attic insulation."

Peter Slevin reports for the Washington Post May 25, 2009.