[wapadc] Contact congress re cuts to unemployment

Greetings all. I usually don't send out political messages, but this
time we really need to get congress to pay attention to a sequestration
effect other than how long the privileged have to wait in line to board
an airplane.

Please contact your congress person and senators to ask them to rescind
cuts to the extended unemployment compensation (EUC) program and other
programs designed to help people find work. EUC serves the long term
unemployed, those who still can't find work after looking for 6 months.
Congress left benefits for those newly unemployed, unemployed federal
workers and veterans alone. The long term unemployed and the programs
to help them are taking all the cuts.

People on EUC aren't sitting around collecting a check, but actively
looking for work - you have to make 2-4 employer contacts a week to
qualify for EUC. Most had worked most of their lives and have been
living on a combination of unemployment and, if they have it, their
savings or retirement income for a long time. They least deserve to
have their benefits cut and can least afford it.

My research suggests that many of the long term unemployed are educated,
middle aged to older (50-64) workers who spent their careers serving the
disadvantaged as teachers, social service agency employees, teachers or
government works. Others are mid-level management and salespeople
downsized during the recession and deemed "overqualified" or just too
old to hire again. These are your neighbors, friends, and perhaps
yourself (see attached unemployment report links file for more information).

These cuts were supposed to be 5% across the board in October, but due
to delays, states have been fazing them in more slowly - meaning that
the cuts are larger for fewer months. In Maryland and New Jersey, its
22% of a weekly check, amounting to around $400 a month. Imagine taking
a cut that large to your pay, especially when your only source of income
paid a maximum of $1720 to start with (see attached issue brief and
details for the states from the National Employment Law Project).

While we've heard all about the impact of sequestration on air traffic
controllers and federal government employees, the media has not said a
thing about major cuts to unemployment, programs designed to help the
unemployed find work, and the many safety net programs that help those
still struggling to survive. Effectively, congress is balancing the
budget on the backs of the poor, as well as federal, state and local
governments. And congress is not doing a thing about it.

Please forward as appropriate. Ken S, please forward to the Patapsco
list. Mona, to the CPMM list. Jane and David, to BFM and FMW.

Thanks,

Jo Anne

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