LANSING – As unemployment hovers at 15 percent with 731,000 residents out of work, State Representatives Dian Slavens (D-Canton), Deb Kennedy (D-Brownstown) and Bob Constan (D-Dearborn Heights) today called on the State Senate to act immediately to extend unemployment benefits to Michigan's struggling workers. With a massive surge in the number of workers exhausting their benefits expected to begin today, the lawmakers warned that by year's end nearly 100,000 Michigan workers will have their unemployment lifeline cut unless action is taken.
"More and more of our hard-working men and women right here in Southeast Michigan are losing their unemployment lifeline, even as they continue to search for a good-paying job," Slavens said. "Michigan's workers are second to none, and we must stand by them through these trying times. It's time for the Senate to put the pedal to the metal and vote to extend this much-needed funding to our working families before it's too late."
Under the lawmakers' plan, which passed the House in May, unemployed workers who seek new skills by enrolling in a vocational or retraining program would be eligible for an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. These benefits will be automatically provided to workers who are in a declining industry and enter an approved training program that prepares them for entry into new fields. These benefits also will be provided to workers who lost their job through no fault of their own and are now working part-time. For more than three months the State Senate has failed to act on the plan, while more displaced workers fall behind.
Without Senate passage of this plan, Michigan stands to lose out on more than $138 million in unemployment assistance to struggling workers and their families as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In July, 731,000 residents reported being unemployed, according to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. Through December, the number of workers statewide who will exhaust their unemployment benefits claims is expected to reach nearly 100,000, including 25,689 in Wayne County.
"While investment firms and banks get rewarded despite making poor business decisions, Michigan families who worked hard and played by the rules are being ignored," Kennedy said. "This is unacceptable. Our workers built the middle class, and they deserve the opportunity to enter training programs that will help them land a good-paying job in a high-demand field."
House lawmakers have launched an online petition to rally support for the plan to extend the unemployment lifeline to Michigan's struggling workers. Residents can sign the petition by visiting www.housedems.com/petitions and clicking on the unemployment petition graphic.
"Too many of our workers have lost their jobs because of outsourcing or downsizing, leaving many families struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table," Constan said. "Unless the Senate takes action on our plan, thousands of these working families will see their last lifeline slip away. I urge the Senate to join us in supporting our workers through these tough economic times and ensuring they have the skills they need to get back on their feet."