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While there was talk last week of the Senate passing an unemployment benefits extension for another 22 weeks, the Senate was unable to quickly approve the measure—which means that some New Yorkers will be hit hard. The NY Times reports, "That lapse will leave about 37,000 residents of the state...without benefits this week, and will force others to contemplate applying for food stamps or other forms of welfare that they had never considered."
NY State has already extended unemployment benefits to 79 weeks, apparently the longest in state history. Not that many of the longterm unemployed want to be unemployed that long: A construction worker from Mastic told the Times that he's been looking for jobs, "I’ve been to every store at the Tanger outlet mall. I’ve been to every deli around here." While he wants his union to call him for a job, he's still number 20 on a waitlist, "If they call me in for anything, I don’t care what it is, I’ll run right there. If they tell me I got to stand on a pole and juggle, I’ll do that. I want to work."
The NY State Department of Labor has a Twitter account—most recently updating followers that no Senate vote was taken on the benefits extension—and a Facebook account, where it actually does try to answer some people's questions posted to the wall.
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79 weeks? with another potential 22 weeks? i'm sorry but two years of unemployment seems rather gratuitous.
unlike the guy from mastic, i'll bet a lot of these people are coasting through this economic downturn on their asses. the woman from the times article is sure eating well...
I bet some of them are, but at the same time the job market is really hard out there even in retail.
There will always be those who try to exploit the system, but that doesn't mean you punish the ones who are legitimately seeking work. It's my understanding that one of the requirements for collecting extended benefits is providing proof that you are seeking work. How the overwhelmed unemployment offices enforce this, I don't know, but at least there is something in place.
While you're snickering about Ms. Barrett, think of this... A) She may have been much larger not too long ago, and B) The cheapest foods are often high in fat and calorie content.
Apparently, you and I are fortunate to be employed and/or not in a position to require assistance. The difference is that I see the numbers and don't go around denegrating people I don't know...
while i appreciate your even-handed response nearly two years of unemployment is bullshit anyway you cut it. who do you think pays for unemployment? taxes on employers at the fed and state level. this money is not coming from thin air and last time i heard NYS was heavily in debt. increasing taxes on businesses to pay for the additional payouts will not spur them to expand or hire will it? or perhaps you'd suggest NYS go further into debt?
RE: the chubby lady. the article link indicates that her husband is still gainfully employed. so why then should the state continue to pay her for 22 more weeks? is there hardship? that is what welfare, a need-based entitlement, is for. she'd hardly qualify with her union-paid husband.
I understand your point, and I am not advocating that NYS take on additional debt. I am in favor of Senator Shaheen's proposal to pay for the extensions by tapping unspent TARP funds. No, extending the tax on employers will not help spur them to expand and/or hire, but neither will declining revenues due to millions of consumers who are unable to spend money on food, clothing, etc. Those lost sales amount to much more per employee than the $14 tax. As for the state, they giveth but they also taketh back...unemployment benefits are taxable income, so the funds are not completely lost.
I did not say that the chubby lady should be entitled to assistance. I was merely suggesting that you don't know her, much less how fat she might have been or why she is fat in the first place... I will admit, however, that I had the same thought you did when I first saw the photo.
What China did was simply keep employees at their jobs with their stimulus program and it was remarkably successful. Not that we could do the same thing but if we're paying anyway, why not put these people to work cleaning subways and streets for 30 hrs a week instead of making them run around knocking on the same locked doors?
the only people working are those in employment offices, the non-profit ones knows where their toast is buttered.
all they do is do what any prudent person would do, look in newspapers, civil service lists and the internet.
same with drug rehabs that hire ex junkies.
I feel for the people who will lose almost everything.
you can't have these people work in the subways, one word Unions.
I hope these people will still vote.
Maybe they can staff the unemployment offices with hard-working immigrants who manage to find work within a day or two of getting here. They must know some secret.
If you can't find "a job" in a month you are a loser. It might not be the job you want or the pay you want, but you can look for a better job and work.
To hotstepper and 5borough, I worked for 17 years at an automobile parts manufacturing plant that had a 50 year successful run in this country, but thanks to our so called leaders for paving the american businesses highway to Mexico my company felt it was more profitable to pay a mexican $3.00 compared to my whopping $13.00 I collected unemployment benfits until I began working for a tree service, when the economic shit hit the fan they laid off half of their workforce including myself, with only 18 weeks with that company I did not have enough weeks in to file a new claim but thank god I was able to collect off of my old one so before you begin to judge people that lost their jobs you need to consider reality I do not want to be on unemployment but it pays the bills and with 1 job available for every 6 people out of work you do the math, if you really want to lay the blame someone blame our elected representatives who have been bought and paid for by big business.
I can tell you a story about a young lad that quit High School, worked 4 months, got fired and has been on unemployment for over a year now. Hasn't looked for a job the whole time. Apparently no one checks the state work requirement for unemployed workers. Now Obama is giving preference to PELL schooling grants to unemployed and asking states to extend the benefit through 2 years of school! That's 3 years unemployment and 2 years free collage. This is a good thing? You tell me.