UI Lobby Day! $405 is NOT ENOUGH!

New York Working Families Deserve Extended Benefits!

** Tuesday, May 12th, Albany NY **

In this economy, Unemployment Insurance is more important than ever. Join us on Tuesday, May 12^th in Albany as we visit our elected leaders and let them know why a better UI system is good for working families, and good for New York!

Unemployment has been skyrocketing in New York - with nearly 766,000 workers out of a job, more families than ever are counting on UI to help them make it through this tough economy.Yet, in New York, adjusted for cost-of-living, benefits are woefully low - working families can receive a maximum of only $405 per week - and too many workers are left out of the program altogether.

And, with our unemployment rate remaining at a staggering 7.8 percent for the last two months, thousands of workers are about to run out of their benefits without a further extension.

So, what can we do?

Legislation has been introduced both the Assembly and the Senate which would raise the maximum benefit and benefit levels for lower-wage workers, allow more workers to enter the program, and enable New York to receive an additional 13 weeks of federally-funded Extended Benefits. We need to let leaders in Albany know this legislation in crucial to working families in New York, particularly as it becomes harder and harder to find a job!

Join us tomorrow, May 12^th, as we visit our elected leaders in Albany and let them know we care about the UI safety net for working families in NY!

PLEASE ACT NOW! Click HERE to contact your assembly member on UI reform.

We'll be meeting at the AFL-CIO Conference Room at 11:00am before heading out to meet with various elected officials for the day. All transportation costs (train / subway, travel to Albany) will be covered, and meals will be provided. If you're leaving from the NYC area, we will provide transportation from our office, leaving at 8am. 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're 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 will be meeting at the AFL-CIO Conference Room, 100 South Swan St, at 11:00am.

If you're leaving from the NYC Area, we can provide transportation. Meet at the NELP Office at 8:00 AM - the office is located at 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 601, at Maiden Lane and William St. You can get to our office on the following MTA Subway lines: A, C (Broadway-Nassau); 2, 3, 4, 5 (Fulton St.); or J, M, Z (Broad Street). Please RSVP so that we can accommodate those wishing to attend who need transportation.

Legislation Basics:

• Raises the maximum UI benefit incrementally over a number of years, and provides for automatic adjustment with wages by 2013.

• Provides higher benefits for low-wage working families.

• Provides benefits for educational workers, workers who leave their jobs due to domestic violence, and long-term unemployed workers who are in job retraining.

• Makes New York's UI system more sustainable through better financing.

• Provides an additional 13 weeks of federally-funded Extended Benefits for families who are exhausting all current benefits and extensions available.

Relevant Bills: UI Reform: A8013/S4053, A8100/S2245; Extended Benefits: A8013, A8100, S4110

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.

NYC Jobless Rate Stands Fast at 8.1%

April 16, 2009 2:00 PM

by: Elisabeth Butler Cordova

Following a severe increase in unemployment in February, March showed tentative signs that the worst deterioration could be over.

Many employers held off on shedding more employees in March, according to new labor figures released Thursday.

The city’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 8.1% in March, according to the state Department of Labor.

That static figure follows a dramatic worsening in February, when unemployment jumped to 8.1% from 6.9% in January. It was the biggest single-month increase in more than three decades.

“It’s a suggestion that the particularly severe part of the downturn may be leveling off, but we’ll have to wait at least another month to feel comfortable with that,” said James Brown, principal economist at the state’s Department of Labor.

Still, the city has lost 104,100 jobs since the peak of August 8, 2008, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the office of Comptroller William Thompson.

Outside the city, the adjusted unemployment rate was 7.6%, bringing the state’s unemployment rate to 7.8%. Both figures stayed the same from February.

The rising number of unemployed New Yorkers will likely temper any optimism seeded by the flat unemployment rate. In the state, 765,900 people were unemployed in March, according to the Department of Labor. That’s the highest rate since September 1992.

In the city, some 325,700 people were unemployed in March, according to the labor department.

“While the city unemployment rate remained the same, it is still at a level not seen in more than five years,” said Mr. Thompson in a statement. “I remain hopeful that the infusion of federal stimulus funds into our economy will help to stabilize our job market and place us on our way to recovery.”

The trade, transportation and utilities sector shed the most jobs, on an unadjusted basis, in the 12-month period that ended in March 2009. It lost some 52,300 jobs.

Manufacturing gave up 37,000 in the year; 36,400 fell from professional and business services; and financial activities, which includes positions related to securities and commodity contracts, shrunk by 30,200.

On the brighter side, some companies did more seasonal hiring in March, something they’d largely put off in February.

The leisure and hospitality sector, which typically beefs up staff to handle the swell of summer tourists, added 7,400 jobs between February and March.

“Seasonal hiring was better in March,” Mr. Brown said. “Since this downturn has been so severe, there was a chance that there wouldn’t be any.”

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.

Paterson Orders 8,900 Layoffs of State Workers.

March 24, 2009.
photo: A. Golden, eyewash design, c. 2009.

Governor calls for first job cuts since the late 1990s as the state faces a $16 billion deficit.

(AP) - Gov. David Paterson on Tuesday ordered layoffs that could total more than 4 percent of state workers after unions refused concessions amid a staggering economic downturn that was projected to push the state's deficit to $16 billion in the next year.

Budget Director Laura Anglin told The Associated Press that the layoffs of nearly 9,000 employees would be the first since the late 1990s after unions refused to even provide counterproposals.

It was unclear if the eventual number of layoffs could be offset by attrition or early retirement incentives. Those are among the details that would be worked out in coming weeks.

The layoffs, which Ms. Anglin said could save the state $500 million over two years, could begin July 1. The state currently employs nearly 200,000 people.

Ms. Anglin said unions, including the state's largest public employee unions, have been informed and could still try to return to the table in the coming days before a budget is negotiated.

"We felt there was no other option at this point considering the size and magnitude of the deficit," Ms. Anglin said in an interview. "We asked everyone for a sacrifice and the unions were not willing to have that conversation."

There was no immediate comment from two of the state's biggest unions, the Civil Service Employees Association and Public Employees Federation.

Ms. Anglin said the unions refused proposals to delay 3 percent pay raises expected this year; defer a week's pay until retirement, a practice known as "lag pay"; or reduce state payments into retirees' health care.

The action is expected to save $161 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year.

It will take months to figure out which agencies and employees would be affected. The layoffs would apply only to workers in agencies under direct control of the governor's office such as highway crews, nurses, prison guards and forest rangers.

Employees not under Mr. Paterson's control include workers in the office of the attorney general, comptroller, state courts system or Legislature, Ms. Anglin said.

Mr. Paterson said no jobs are safe but he committed to protecting public safety.

State unemployment has risen during this recession to 7 percent in January, the latest number available, up from 4.7 percent a year before.

State jobs are most heavily concentrated in Albany and New York City, but they also represent a major part of local economies in many rural areas such as the Adirondacks and Southern Tier — particularly state prisons.

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.

Paterson provides $2B to buoy jobless.

February 10, 2009 5:15 PM

Officials will release $2 billion more in unemployment insurance funds to address the recent spike in jobless claims; more than 420,000 New Yorkers are on the dole.

(AP) - Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders have agreed to release $2 billion more in unemployment insurance funds to deal with a spike in claims.

New unemployment claims have doubled to a weekly average of about 25,000 from about 12,500 a year ago. There are now more than 420,000 New Yorkers receiving benefits. That's up 175,000 from last year's average.

Mr. Paterson and the lawmakers needed to agree on additional funding to avoid running out of money for benefits by the end of the fiscal year March 31.

Workers and employers won't pay more in payroll deductions. The money will come from the federal Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.

The average weekly benefit is $309 and, because of a recent federal change, can be received for up to 59 weeks after a new claim.

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.

Unemployment rose in 363 out of 369 U.S. cities in 2008.

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FROM COUNTERSPINYC: UPDATE! NOTICE FOR ALL NY STATE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS:

Important Information about Extended Emergency Unemployment Compensation, from the NY state Department of Labor:

Due to the high unemployment rate in New York State, an additional 13 weeks of emergency benefits will be available on February 22, 2009, for a total of 33 week of emergency benefits. These additional weekly benefits may be claimed in the usual manner starting on Sunday, February 22, 2009. Check our website weekly for updates. click here for further information.

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Published: UPI.com, Feb. 4, 2009 at 6:22 PM
Photograph: A. Golden, eyewash design, c. 2009.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Unemployment rose in 363 out of 369 U.S. cities in 2008, the Labor Department announced Wednesday.

As the recession sunk its teeth into the labor market, 40 cities reported jobless rates above 10 percent. Two reported rates under 3 percent, the report said.

In December, the nation's unemployment rate hit 7.1 percent, compared with December 2007, when it was 4.8 percent.

In one year, Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., beset by manufacturing sector layoffs, found its unemployment rate jump 10.6 percentage points, the largest leap in the country. The second highest jump was recorded in Dalton, Ga., where the unemployment rate grew by 6.2 percentage points.

In total, 27 cities saw their unemployment rate jump by 4 percentage points or more, the report said.

Among larger cities in December, the greater Detroit area recorded the highest jobless rate with unemployment reaching 10.6 percent, the Labor Department said.

The lowest unemployment rates among cities with a population of 1 million or more in the 2000 census was in Oklahoma City, Okla. -- at 4.6 percent in December.

The highest rate in December among all cities was in El Centro, Calif. at 22.6 percent; the lowest was in Morgantown, W. Va. -- 2.7 percent.

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.

Longer notice now needed for layoffs in NY

Post: Crain's NY
By: Daniel Massey
Photograph: A. Golden, eyewash design, c. 2009.

February 02, 2009 3:49 PM

Tougher new law requires 90 days notice before layoffs or closings – up from 60 days.

Just as job losses are mounting, thousands of private employers in New York must now give an even earlier heads up to workers of mass layoffs, plant closings and relocations.

The New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act went into effect Feb. 1 and is more expansive than the 20-year-old federal law that had previously set notification standards. Indeed, the New York law is considered the strictest in the country by some employment lawyers, who note that it applies to more employers, requires additional advanced notice and is more easily invoked than the federal WARN statute.

Employment lawyers and business advocates say the new set of rules come at the wrong time for businesses and make it harder for them to cope with the recession.

“In this economic climate, there are going to be a lot of companies that have to make changes for business reasons,” said attorney Marc Mandelman, co-chair of the Managing Change/Reductions in Force group at law firm Proskauer Rose. “These new deadlines will be extremely difficult to meet.”

The federal law required employers with 100 or more full-time employees to provide written notification of mass layoffs and closings, but the New York law applies to businesses with 50 or more full-time workers.

The new law also requires 90-day advance notice to employees and government officials, compared with 60 days in the federal rules.

And notification is now required when at least 25 employees lose their positions, if they make up one-third of the workforce, or when a company lays off at least 250 full-time employees. The federal WARN act is triggered when 50 workers who represent one-third of the workforce are let go, or if 500 workers are laid off.

The Business Council of New York State says some 13,000 small businesses that weren’t affected by the federal statute will now be covered by the state law. Many of them can’t afford to hire labor attorneys to assist with the process, the council argued.

“It makes it more difficult to do business in New York State,” said a spokesman for the group.

But a spokesman for the New York State AFL-CIO, which represents 2.2 million workers, said the law provides employees a much-needed cushion to help deal with the harsh effects of unemployment.

“Every day counts when you’re losing your job,” the spokesman said. “You have to pay the bills, pay the rent and provide for your family. Any extra time helps you deal with the horror of losing your job.”

The law empowers the State Department of Labor to hit violators with penalties of $500 per day and hold them liable for back pay and employee benefits. Under the federal law, redress is more limited.

Employers are exempt from the requirements if they can show unforeseen hardship or attempts to actively seek capital or business that would have prevented the layoff, plant closing or relocation.

But Gerald Hathaway, an employment attorney at law firm Littler Mendelson, says the exemptions don’t go far enough. New Jersey’s WARN law, for example, applies only to businesses that have been around for three years or more. He says startups and even Broadway shows now have to factor giving 90 days notice into their business plans.

“Any entrepreneur starting a business has to ask himself six months in, ‘Am I going to make it?’” Mr. Hathaway said. “If I don’t, now I’m on the hook for giving three months notice. It calls to question survivability.”

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.

HELP Save the economy!

The bad news: As of this morning, unemployment hit a 16-year high. We're in trouble.¹

The good news: Yesterday, President-elect Obama laid out a bold plan for how to get us out of this economic crisis and invest in 3 million jobs. It's smart and progressive—doubling clean energy production, providing health care for laid-off workers, and offering real relief to struggling states.²

But the most important parts are already under attack by oil and health insurance lobbyists, joined by congressional conservatives who want to replace these progressive provisions with tax cuts for the rich.³

Only a massive public outcry will get Obama's plan passed intact. Can you sign MoveOn's petition to Congress to pass Obama's economic plan right away? Click here to add your name.

In a few days, MoveOn members across the nation will deliver the petition signatures to the local offices of key undecided lawmakers, so every signature is crucial!

The petition says: "Congress should quickly pass Obama's plan to invest in clean energy, green jobs, health care, and relief for struggling states. No more tax cuts for the rich."

The investments Obama wants to make are the most effective way to stimulate the economy in the short-term and invest for the long-term:

• Doubling clean energy production in three year;
• Building a smart electric grid to distribute clean energy;
• Weatherizing federal buildings and homes;
  
• Creating millions of new green jobs;
• Helping laid-off workers afford health care; and
• Making sure struggling cities and states don't have to slash services.⁴

But conservatives in Congress are countering Obama's plan with a proposal for more tax cuts that will primarily benefit the wealthy,⁵ even though, as Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman affirms, "public investment is a much better way to provide economic stimulus than tax cuts."⁶

And energy industry lobbyists are quietly working behind the scenes to kill some of the most important green jobs provisions in the bill.

All the bickering is severely delaying Obama's plan, which he originally hoped to pass by Inauguration Day. As Obama said yesterday, if we don't act in time, "a bad situation could become dramatically worse."⁷

And it's not just the economy that could suffer. If Obama doesn't win big on this first fight, he won't have the political momentum to keep going on health care, clean energy, and ending the war in Iraq.

Can you get Obama's back by urging Congress to pass his economic recovery plan immediately? Clicking here will add your name.

Sources:

1. "Unemployment Hits 7.2%, 16-Year High," The New York Times, January 9, 2009

2. "Obama Presses for Action on the Economy," The New York Times, January 8, 2009

3. "The Intense Lobbying Frenzy Over Stimulus Dollars in Congress," U.S. News and World Report, December 30, 2008

"McConnell Moving Goalposts on Obama Stimulus Plan," Talking Points Memo, January 5, 2009

4. "American Recovery and Reinvestment," Change.gov, January 8, 2009

5. "McConnell's 'Middle Class' Tax Cut Gives 10 Times More To Mega-Rich Than To Middle Class Families," Think Progress, January 7, 2009

6. "Is Obama relying too much on tax cuts?," The New York Times, January 5, 2009

7. "American Recovery and Reinvestment," Change.gov, January 8, 2009

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.

---> 826,000 flood Dep. of Labor's Phone Lines <---

Worried (N.Y.) callers flood state's phone lines.

December 09, 2008 5:54 pm

The state Department of Labor had to hire more people to field the rush of calls coming in as people raise questions about government unemployment benefits.

(AP) - The New York state labor department said it is adding staff to avoid being overwhelmed by a surge in calls from people inquiring about government unemployment benefits.

Nearly 826,000 people phoned the department's call centers in November, up from 322,000 during the same month a year earlier.

The big increase resulted in longer wait times or trouble getting through for some callers.

"It's frustrating to them, and we hear it from them, and we're doing something about it," said Department of Labor spokesman Leo Rosales.

Beginning this week, the department is implementing a program to more than double the number of people taking calls.

The department's Tel-Claims call centers in Troy and Endicott currently have 156 employees. They are adding 159 new people, for a total of 315.

The labor department also plans to extend the hours of the centers, although the new times haven't been made final. They are presently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More than 92,000 New Yorkers filed new claims for unemployment benefits in November, up from about 58,000 during the same month in 2007, the labor department said.

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.