Write Your Legislatures Urging them to Extend Unemployment Benefits. The Moneys Are in Place, Thanks to the Bailout Dollars.

March 30, 2009

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the National Employment Law Project, and our unemployment information action site, www.unemployedworkers.org!

We are urging you to take action to extend unemployment benefits. As many of you know, the federal government is providing up to 33 weeks of federal emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) benefits to workers in high unemployment benefits.

However, there are over 1 million workers who are reaching the end of these Tier II EUC benefits in these high unemployment states. Fortunately, allies of jobless workers slipped an EXTENSION OF THE EXTENSION into Section 2005 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-that gave states the option of providing 13-20 weeks of benefits on top of the EUC program.

The details of this extension have been largely ignored. You can learn more about all the extended benefits programs by visiting our website HERE.

The bottom line is that some high unemployment states have to pass STATE LEGISLATION to get jobless workers all they deserve out of this 3rd extension of benefits (which is known simply as EB, extended benefits).

The states where action must be taken are: **ALABAMA, ARIZONA, DC, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI, NEW YORK, OHIO, PUERTO RICO, SOUTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE.** In most of these states, legislation is already proposed to make the necessary changes to pay the maximum EB benefits.

**NOW, WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BUILD PUBLIC PRESSURE TO GET THIS LEGISLATION PASSED.**

Please take a moment to contact your state legislator by visiting NELP's action center HERE

It's imperative that you act today, and share this link with all your friends: http://www.nelp.org/page/speakout/EB324

Thanks again for your patience as we retool our website.

We look forward to being in touch.

Sincerely,
Andy, Christine, Debbie, Judy, Rick and Maurice The National Employment Law Project

P.S. If you have question or comments please email unemployedworkers.org@gmail.com

Our Postal Address: 75 Maiden Lane Suite 601 New York, New York 10038 United States

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

NELP Unemployment Insurance Lobby Day! $405 is NOT ENOUGH!

NELP UI Lobby Day! $405 is NOT ENOUGH!

New Yorkers, NOW is the time to make your voices heard in Albany!

Join us on Tuesday, February 24^th, as we call on our elected leaders to support UI Reform!

Unemployment has been surging in New York State, and yet our Unemployment Insurance (UI) system remains woefully out-of-date, giving working families a maximum of only $405 in UI benefits. Is that enough to support a family - to cover food, housing, and medical costs? We say, "NO!" It's about time New York makes long-overdue changes that allow more working families to access benefits, particularly in these tough economic times.

So, how will these changes be made?

A recent bill was introduced in the State Assembly (A4920) that would increase the amount of benefits available to working families facing joblessness and allow more families throughout the state to be eligible for benefits. We need to let leaders in Albany know that A4920 is important to families in New York, and that we call on them to support the bill’s proposed changes to UI!

Join us on Tuesday, February 24^th as we visit our elected officials in Albany

and let them know we support A4920!

We will be meeting at the Westminster Presbyterian Church at 10:30 AM before heading out to meet with various elected officials for the day. All transportation costs (subway, travel to Albany) will be covered, and meals will be provided. See below for more details about travel and meeting places.

Please contact Christine, at criordan@nelp.org or 212.285.3025 ext.302, if you are able to attend or would like more information. Click here for a UI Lobby Day flyer. We hope to see you there!

Travel and Meeting Details:

In Albany, we'll be meeting at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chesnut St., at 10:30AM. Parking is on Chesnut St., between Dove St., and South Swan St., on the left-hand side of the street. Entrance to the church parlor is on Chesnut St. We'll be done by 4:30PM, and meals will be provided. Please click here for a map.

If you are leaving from the NYC Area, we can provide transportation. Meet at the NELP Office at 6:30AM - the office is located at: 75 MAIDEN LANE, SUITE 601, at MAIDEN LANE and WILLIAM ST., near the A, C, 2, 3, J, M, Z,4 & 5 subway lines. Please RSVP so we can accommodate those wishing to attend who need transportation.

A4920 Basics

• Provides benefits for educational workers, workers who leave their jobs due to domestic violence, and long-term unemployed workers in job retraining
• Provides higher benefits for low-wage working families
• Raises the maximum UI benefit incrementally over a number of years, and provides for automatic adjustment with wages by 2013
• Makes New York’s UI system more sustainable through better financing
  

Christine Riordan, Policy Analyst
National Employment Law Project
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 601
New York, NY 10038
Tel: 212.285.3025 ext. 302
Fax: 212.285.3044
Email: criordan@nelp.org
Web: www.nelp.org

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Stimulus Bill Extends and Increases Jobless Benefits.

NELP
75 Maiden Lane
Suite 601
New York, New York 10038
United States

February 14, 2009.

Greetings-

As many of you may have seen in the news, the Senate and House voted in favor of the economic stimulus legislation. You can read about the details below which include a $25 per week increase for everyone receiving UI benefits and a new government subsidy to help workers get health care by paying for 65 percent of their health benefits obtained through the COBRA law.

A provision added at the last minute is likely to be of particular interest to unemployedworkers.org members. The final package included reforms that could help as many 850,000 workers get additional benefits after they run out of EUC this spring.

This is result of changes to the Federal Extended Benefits program (EB) which could provide 13-20 weeks of extra benefits after EUC depending on the state's unemployment rate and state law provisions.

NELP will be working hard to make sure states change their laws so that as many as workers as possible can get these benefits. We'll be posting more about this soon. You can see where your state stands now by viewing the table below. All of us at NELP appreciate the major stresses facing today's unemployed, but hope that this federal action will ease the challenges you and your families are facing.

Sincerely, Andy, Maurice, Judy, Christine, Rick & Debbie
National Employment Law Project

NELP Press Release: HERE. Extended Benefits (EB) Summary: HERE. P.S. NELP has been having problems with its unemployedworkers.org website. While we are fixing those problems, we encourage you to visit here for more information, and we hope to have the unemployedworkers.org site fixed by late next week.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

ACTION ALERT! Tell Congress to Support Unemployment Insurance Reform as Part of Economic Recovery

Dear Friends --

We need your help right away to make the case to Congress that the economic recovery legislation now being debated should help all hard-working families collect unemployment benefits. As described below, please email your Congressional Representatives and Senators to support the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act.

(Link to Email Congress)

Although you may be receiving unemployment insurance checks right now, did you know that only 37% of unemployed workers actually receive unemployment? True, some lose or quit their jobs under circumstances that leave them ineligible to collect unemployment, but far too many workers, especially low wage and women workers, fall through the cracks of the system.

That's because their states still have eligibility rules developed for the workforce of the Great Depression, not today’s workforce in which people work part-time in order to help balance their work and family responsibilities, in which there is a larger low-wage workforce than ever before (ONE in THREE jobs), and in which people, largely women, have to involuntarily leave their jobs because of compelling family circumstances such as caring for an ill child or moving because of a spouse’s mandatory job transfer.

An important piece of federal legislation, the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act (UIMA), would provide states with generous financial incentives ($7 billion) to enact reforms of their programs that about 20 states have already enacted. These reforms have a proven track-record of making sure that more deserving workers qualify for unemployment when they lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The states that have already enacted these reforms will also be rewarded with generous grants that they can use to continue to expand and improve coverage.

If passed, the UIMA would also provide ALL states with much needed money ($500 million) to help improve their administration and delivery of benefits. As we have heard from so many of you, the states are really struggling to process your unemployment claims and get back to families with the unemployment checks. So this federal money to the states is desperately needed to help the state unemployment agencies staff up and fix their crashing systems.

As tough as things might be for you right now (only receiving unemployment insurance rather than a paycheck), imagine how much worse it would be if you didn’t even receive those UI checks. That’s the situation the UIMA is designed to remedy.

By clicking this link, you will be able to send an email to your representatives in Congress, telling them to support the UIMA and include it in the economic stimulus and recovery legislation that will be enacted early this year. We need your help right away, as Congress and President-elect Obama are very close to making final decisions about the economic recovery legislation, including the UIMA.

The clock is ticking and the economy is continuing to shed jobs. PLEASE take just a few short minutes of your time to HELP SUPPORT this important initiative that will help cover approximately 500,000 MORE workers qualify for unemployment benefits with the help of the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act.

Here's a link to our fact sheet with more details on the UIMA.

Many thanks!

Maurice, Andy, Judy, Christine and Debbie, NELP

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Senate Passes Expansion of Federal Joblessness Benefits.

Photo: "Baby REBEL, "Bailout is BABBLE!"", N.Y., N.Y.: A. Golden, eyewash design - c. 2006.

Friends, it's official! The Senate just passed the expansion of federal jobless benefits, and there's every indication the President will sign it into law right away (see press release below).

Thanks to NELP and members of the Unemployed Worker's organization who put tremendous time and energy into this effort. Hundreds contributed their stories (and souls) to testify in Congress, appear before major events in D.C., and talk to reporters for all the major papers, to help ensure that Our elected officials do the right thing.

Our voices have been heard in Congress, with large numbers of calls and emails to those responsible for making the right call. These are incredibly tough times, but our actions led directly to the passage of this important extension and it goes a long way to help more than two million families get back on their feet, with a little more hope and determination to get by. For that, NELP thanks you!

Best wishes to you all,
Chris, Maurice, Judy, Andy, Debbie & Rick

NELP Applauds Today's Senate Action Providing Necessary Relief to Two Million Jobless Workers & the Struggling Economy

Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation expanding jobless benefits for over two million workers who were scheduled to run out of their limited 13 weeks of federal assistance. The Senate adopted a measure passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives before the Congressional recess.

Christine Owens, the Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project said, "Today's significant action by Congress sends a message loud and clear to all the nation's families, not just those who now find themselves unemployed, that help is on the way." Ms. Owens continued, "We applaud Congress for taking this action, and we hope it's the first step of many necessary reforms that reflects the serious needs of everyday families and those communities hardest hit by the recession to help bring about an economic recovery. The President should sign the legislation right away to make sure the benefits are available without delay to all workers in need and the struggling economy."

According to state by state estimates prepared by NELP, today's action helps more than 1.16 million workers who have already run out of their limited 13 weeks of extended benefit or who were scheduled to do so before the end of the year during the holiday season. By March 2009, when the program expires, 2.11 million workers would have been left jobless without any additional federal assistance if Congress had not acted to expand the program of federal jobless benefits.

The measure passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 6867), includes the following key provisions:

1. 20 Weeks for All States: Increases the basic 13 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), which was enacted in June, by 7 more weeks (to 20 weeks) for workers in all states.

2. 33 Weeks for High Unemployment States: Increases the basic 13 weeks of EUC by 20 weeks (to 33 weeks total) in states with unemployment rates over 6 percent (averaged over the latest three months). Nineteen states, plus the District of Columbia, now qualify for these extra weeks of EUC (Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee). More states will qualify for extra weeks of EUC when their rates of unemployment exceed the required 6-percent threshold (the new state unemployment numbers are released on Friday, November 21).

3. Extra Benefits Not Paid Retroactively: Workers who ran out of their EUC benefits in October and November will qualify for the additional weeks of EUC going forward provided they are still unemployed and looking for work. They do not qualify for additional weeks of EUC retroactively, that is, for the period between when the new law was enacted and their benefits previously expired.

4. EUC Deadline Still March 2009: The EUC will be available to workers who exhaust their state benefits before the end of March 2009. However, anyone who qualified before the deadline will continue to receive their full weeks of EUC benefits under the new program (with all benefits ending in August). Thus, Congress and the President will have to take up another extension of benefits early in 2009 before the program expires.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Last Chance to Voice Support for Extended Unemployment Benefits.

ALERT- Last Chance to Voice Support for Extended Unemployment Benefits!

November 17, 2008

Dear Friends,

The Senate is back in session this week to complete unfinished business from before the election. Top among that unfinished business is unemployment benefits. On October 3, 2008, the House of Representatives passed, by an overwhelming margin, a bill (H.R. 6867, Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008) to extend unemployment benefits by an additional 7 weeks for workers in all states, and a further 13 weeks for workers in states with unemployment levels exceeding 6%. The Senate left town without doing the same. Now is your last chance to call your Senator and tell him/her you, your family member, your fellow Americans', need a further extension before the holidays. Too many have already been left in the cold already!

Please call 1-800-473-6711 and ask to speak with your Senators' offices. Tell them that unemployment is a national crisis and that you need them to pass the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to help all the hard working men and women who simply cannot find jobs during this recession. Citi group just made history by laying off 52,000 workers today in addition to laying off 20% of their worldwide workforce.

Please take action and call! The outpouring of constituent calls led the House to pass H.R. 6867 before it went into recess, and the pressure that constituents have brought to bear during the recess has brought us very close to passing the bill in the Senate, but America's workers need your voices to help make sure we have the breadth of support needed to carry the effort to success. A call to your Senator can help make a further extension a reality. Tell every one you know to call tomorrow!

Don't wait ! The Senate may only be in session through Wednesday, and the agenda is being set as We speak. Please call right away and let them know that they cannot leave town AGAIN without helping unemployed workers.

Thanks to you all, and thank you to our friends at the Coalition for Human Needs for allowing us to use their 800 number to allow you all to take action on this important matter. That number is 1-800-473-6711, so please call tomorrow!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: National Employment Law Project

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.