DETROIT – As unemployment hovers at 15 percent with 731,000 residents out of work, a coalition of Detroit 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.
"With so many Detroiters facing the prospect of losing their unemployment benefits, inaction is not an option – the Senate needs to approve our plan," said State Representative Bert Johnson (D-Detroit). "Job loss is wreaking havoc on our communities as so many families are struggling just to get by and stay in their homes. We must continue to fight for our workers and this plan gives them the time they need to find employment in these difficult economic times."
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 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.
"The fallout from this economic crisis is already putting an incredible amount of pressure on our residents," said State Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit). "Worrying about when their unemployment benefits will run out shouldn't be another burden they have to bear. Thousands of workers have lost their benefits in the three months the Senate has sat on this bill – the Senate must act now before more working families slip through the cracks."
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.
"It's simply unfair that these big banks and Wall Street lenders have received billions of dollars to stay afloat, yet when it comes to our working families in Detroit, there's no help to be seen," said State Representative Jimmy Womack (D-Detroit). "I urge the Senate to pass this plan that will provide our neglected, hard-working men and women with a lifeline to get through these tough economic times."
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.
"Thousands of Detroit residents are out of work and about to lose their unemployment benefits," said State Representative Fred Durhal, Jr. (D-Detroit). "These are people who have worked hard and are now facing difficult times without the support they need and deserve. It's time for the Senate to get on board and pass this important plan for our workers."
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.
"More than 100,000 of our friends and neighbors in Michigan – and thousands right here in Detroit – are at risk of losing their unemployment benefits before the end of the year if nothing is done," said State Representative Gabe Leland (D-Detroit). "Instead, the Senate has decided that playing political games is more important than the needs of Michigan's working families. It's time to stop the games, stop the obstruction, and get this plan passed."
NOTE: The bills in the package are House Bills 4785 and 4786