PONTIAC – As unemployment hovers at 15 percent with 731,000 residents out of work, Oakland County lawmakers 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.
"The difficult economic times have hit Michigan residents harder than any other workforce in the country and more and more families are hurting each day," said State Representative Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield). "We need to continue to support our hard-working families. This plan will provide the tools and training our residents need to land jobs in emerging high-tech industries."
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 over three months the State Senate has failed to act on the plan, while more displaced workers fall behind.
"Unemployment continues to devastate Michigan families at an alarming rate," said State Representative Tim Melton (D-Pontiac). "Thousands of citizens will soon lose unemployment benefits if the Senate fails to act. Extending unemployment benefits will aid Michigan families as they struggle to get back to work and pay their bills."
Federal stimulus dollars would cover unemployment benefits for workers in retraining for at least the next two to three years. 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.
"With the state of our financial crisis, leaving $138 million in federal funds on the table would be unconscionable," said State Representative Vincent Gregory (D-Southfield). "This plan gives our workers a much-deserved opportunity to seek retraining for new jobs in new fields. The banks and lenders on Wall Street have received plenty of aid and attention – our workers deserve help too."
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 10,884 in Oakland County.
"Michigan has a top-notch workforce made up of the most dedicated people in the world," said State Representative Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods). "In this economic climate, many of our talented workers are facing unemployment through no fault of their own. Any one of us could find ourselves in the same situation. Michigan's working families are hurting and they need this lifeline – the Senate needs to act now."
House Democrats 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.
"As the Senate sits by, more and more workers are losing a lifeline as they continue to look for a job they can support their families on," said State Representative Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak). "Michigan families continue to bear the brunt of this recession, and yet our plan has sat in the Senate since May. More people are losing their homes and turning to food pantries just to survive – those workers deserve action."