For Immediate Release

Contact: Cathy Sherwin (314) 452-2179

66,700 Michiganders to Lose Unemployment Insurance Lifeline Unless Congress Acts Before January 1^st 

 New state by state numbers show the devastating impact on Michigan jobless workers

http://uistories.aflcio.org/MI

As families prepare for the holiday, a new report released by the AFL-CIO shows that, 66,700 Michiganders will lose their unemployment benefits on December 31^st if Congress fails to act to extend unemployment insurance. 

“As a jobless American, I pray every night for a job and then hit the pavement every morning looking for one. If Congress doesn’t extend unemployment insurance, I’ll lose the last lifeline I have for myself and my family as we struggle to get through the biggest challenge of our lifetime,” said jobless electrician Tony Barnes.

In Michigan as well as across the country, jobless workers and their communities will be holding prayer vigils on Thursday December 8 to call attention to the ongoing jobs crisis and to urge Congress to take immediate action and extend unemployment benefits.

According to the report, young people and people of color will be disproportionately impacted if benefits are cut.  Here in Michigan the unemployment rate for young people 20 to 24 years old is 13.7 percent, for African Americans is 23.9 percent, and Latinos 13.7 percent.

The average benefit provided by the federal extension amounts to $296 a week, which covers a family’s minimum expenses for survival. That money is pumped directly back into the local economy when jobless workers pay for groceries, transportation, utilities, and housing. Currently, 1 in 282 homes in Michigan face foreclosure and the problem will only worsen if federal unemployment insurance extension is not passed.

“With 1 job opening for about every 5 jobseekers and the continued obstruction of job creating legislation, Republicans in Congress and their special interest friends have placed working families in an impossible situation,” said Karla Swift, Michigan AFL-CIO President. “If our elected officials truly prioritize the needs of Michiganders over tax cuts for the richest 1 percent, they will act now to pass the unemployment insurance benefit extension.”

To view the full data and stories of unemployed workers in Michigan visit: http://uistories.aflcio.org/MI