Today’s Good News: Help For Unemployed On The Way
I’ve been lucky enough to qualify for the top level of unemployment benefits several times in my life, and it kept me alive between jobs. I noticed then that fewer or no benefits were available for many people who need them most. Folks around the country are taking up a battle to change that. The National Employment Law Project (NELP) is leading the fight and has gotten a bill introduced in the Senate that would provide $7 billion in incentive funds over five years to states that adopt the recommended reforms to unemployment insurance. Six states have already qualified. Among the reforms are:
- Extending benefits to part-time workers
- Protecting benefits for those who leave jobs because of domestic violence, a spouse’s necessary relocation, or the necessity of a new job that will accommodate scheduling to care for an ill family member
- Providing additional benefits for unemployed workers with dependents
Little-known fact: only 35% of laid-off workers are able to collect jobless benefits, a rate far below decades ago.
Many states cover 40% or more of workers. The lowest states in terms of coverage are all the usual suspects in the South and West. These are the same states with the lowest minimum wages and the “right to work” anti-union laws. Can someone explain to me why these states are the basis of the Republican majority?
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