More than 1 million long-term unemployed workers a month will lose their unemployment benefits--the weekly check that helps keep a roof over their families' heads and food on the table--if Congress doesn't act by Nov. 30.
That's the date the extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits program expires. But Congress does not return to work until Nov. 15 and then will adjourn again for the Thanksgiving holiday, leaving just a few days when lawmakers are in town to extend the lifeline that has been so vital as unemployment continues to hover near 10 percent.
Click here to sign a petition to Congress to act quickly and extend the UI program before it expires Nov. 30.
Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), says that in 2009 alone, UI benefits have kept 3.3 million American families--including 1.5 million children--from falling into poverty.
With the holiday season approaching, it would be especially cruel to families and bad for businesses to cut off these benefits. Any cuts would also be a drastic departure from how unemployment insurance has functioned ever since the Great Depression; Congress has never cut back on federally-funded jobless benefits when unemployment is so high.
America's workers have a lot at stake in the 2010 elections: The entire House of Representatives and 37 Senate seats are up for election--and along with the hundreds of state and local races, the outcomes will determine how well all of us can shape a working families' agenda. Stop by the AFL-CIO Labor 2010 website and:
Social Security is strong for the long term and is not contributing to the deficit. As part of the coalition, Strengthen Social Security…Don’t Cut It, the AFL-CIO is opposing any plans for benefit cuts and pressing candidates to pledge to fight moves raising the retirement age.
