A 99ers video series is highlighted at the end of this article.
Congress: two weeks to pass an unemployment benefits extension for 3.3 million:
The countdown is again on for 3.3 million unemployed who could lose unemployment benefits between March and June 1 if Congress does not pass legislation to extend unemployment benefits.It’s nothing new to see Congress go down to the wire when it comes to passing unemployment legislation. They performed the same deadpan act throughout 2010 and 2011. The GOP, along with the help of some Democrats, relishes making the long-term unemployed the saber in which they fight political battles.
The GOP fights as hard for tax cuts for the wealthy as they fight for benefit cuts to the unemployed. Nothing is changing in that regard, but what is changing is that Democrats are now ready to cut the maximum number of weeks that the unemployed can collect benefits by at least 20 weeks, which was originally a GOP demand. Arthur Delany at HuffPo writes that at least the Democrats aren’t demanding that the unemployed take drug tests in order to collect benefits, which is a small offering to millions of unemployed who are considered lazy, mooching drug abusers by the GOP.
Who suffers most during these congressional unemployment battles? The long-term unemployed do. During the past week, the media has again found the long-term jobless as a news story. Articles are popping up on major news sites and journalists are seeking out those who have been jobless for many months. The Albany, NY Times Union offers a story about one such long-term unemployed worker, J.R. Childress, who probably speaks for millions of unemployed,
"Every day is a struggle," he says in a soft drawl. "The struggle is the unknown. You've worked your way up the ladder and you get to a point in life and a position in work where you're comfortable ... then all of a sudden everything goes away. It's like being thrown into a hole and you're climbing to get up, but it's greased. There's no way of getting out."
According to a Press TV report,
“Instead of offering a hand up and rallying to help those who are most struggling, Republicans and perhaps some Democrats would like to drastically cut down on the maximum number of eligible weeks, and throw up roadblocks to stop many jobless people from getting any benefits at all," says Debbie Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs.
Some of those roadblocks include stigmatizing drug tests and making people who lack a high school diploma or GED ineligible unless they enroll in classes-though Weinstein notes there are currently about 160,000 people on waiting lists for said classes and Republicans would like to see further cuts to those programs.
Occasionally, I am contacted by the long-term unemployed who wonder where the jobs are and how can they be helped. I am often at a loss to help, especially when I see how elected “representatives” manage America’s financial safety net; it is tattered for the jobless but is made strong for the bankers and Wall Street brokerage houses. With little discussion, Congress spends trillions to save failing banks and their corrupt banking executives, but they argue incessantly about spending taxpayer dollars on those most affected by banker financial mismanagement and malfeasance; the long-term unemployed.
S.R. sent me a message,
“My name is S.R. and I have been out of work for over two years, unemployment is up and I am in bad shape. I was a legal secretary and now they want bachelor's degrees and everything is on line. I have applied and applied and no one gets back to you. I handed in four applications to Trader Joe's and cannot even get hired there.’ And she wonders how unemployment can supposedly be improving when she and so many others are unable to find work. “AND NOW THEY KEEP SAYING UNEMPLOYMENT WENT DOWN AGAIN!! WHERE, IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.”
Many others want to know where the jobs are as well, S.R.. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are 4 unemployed for each job opening, their estimate fails to consider the 8.2 underemployed who are looking for full time work and the 2.8 million marginally attached workers who want a job. When those 11 million are added to the jobless per job opening calculation, it increases to more than 8 to 1, a more realistic figure.
Many long-term unemployed, such as Toni Boughner, who I have profiled previously, are struggling just to keep a roof over their head, “I lost my job in early January 2009, and any money I had in my 401k and severance pay was exhausted by that fall due to the normal life expenses everyone has: housing, utilities, food, insurance, credit cards, etc.”
Toni is still trying to fight the banking and mortgage beast, but she could be homeless in the very near future if she isn’t eligible for mortgage or housing assistance. Will the $25 billion bank settlement help Toni? Only time will tell, but that time is running short, “For now, the roof is over my head and I just applied for LIHEAP last week, so the heat will be ok. It's the food stamps that are tricky right now. Illinois still processes renewal applications manually and is generally 1-2 months behind, so I don't have money for food this month.”
If anyone in the Chicago area can help Toni with getting food or mortgage relief, please contact her at tkboughner@yahoo.com.
While many in the media parrot the “improving” jobs mantra and a lowering of the unemployment rate to 8.3%, they fail miserably to recognize millions of unemployed and underemployed. The 8.3% unemployment rate represents 12.8 million jobless. That number is only half the story, since millions of other jobless and underemployed need to be considered when tallying “real” unemployment.
- 2.8 million persons marginally attached to the labor force: These are workers who have found the job market so difficult that they have stopped looking for work. That number has changes little over the past year.
- 8.2 million part time workers: These are the underemployed who are working part time for economic reasons, but want a full-time job.
11 million workers that are conveniently ignored by politicians and media talking heads. There are 5.7 million jobs less today than when the jobs crisis began in 2007. The nation needs to create 125,000 new jobs each month to simply keep up to new entrants into the workforce.
The long-term unemployed still face a very treacherous road ahead. As J.R. Childress, S.R., and Toni Boughner know so well, without further aid, job retraining and millions more available jobs, their struggle will be ongoing for years to come. Congress bailed out the banks with trillions of taxpayer dollars in 0% interest loans, loan guarantees and other special packages, but they have yet to show that generosity to 25-30 million Americans who want and need full time jobs.
Will Congress rise above the partisan rancor to quickly pass a comprehensive jobs bill and extended unemployment benefits? If history is any guide, the answer is no. Congress has only two short weeks to prove otherwise and the clock is ticking.
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A special note about "99ers"
Nearly 1.9 million jobless have been without work for 99 weeks or more. That number is higher than one year ago, but little attention is paid to that large group of long-term unemployed. The “99ers”, those who have exhausted all unemployment benefits, are not discussed at all. In 2010 “99ers” had supposed champions in Senators Charles Schumer and Debbie Stabenow, but those voices have grown silent, although the problems persists.
While Congress is ignoring the long-term unemployed and the 99ers, others are not standing still in pursuit of justice for the eunemployed. Immy Humes has produced an ongoing series on the long-term unemployed and "99ers". It's an excellent series and highly recommended. "F**KED: The United States of Unemployment" is described as, "a new documentary series about some feisty NYC-area 99ers who aren't taking the hell of longterm unemployment lying down!" You can view the series here: http://www.salon.com/2012/01/24/the_real_story_of_americas_unemployed/
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