Unemployment & UI

Manufacturing’s been on everyone’s lips lately.  Economists are extolling its recent growth and policy makers, both Democrats and Republicans, are suggesting we should promote it further.

But NWLC’s new report, A “Man”ufacturing Comeback:  Men’s and Women’s Employment Gains and Losses in 2011 has a few facts about manufacturing that no one’s mentioned yet:

MANuFACTuring statistic #1: In 2011 manufacturing employment increased for the first time in more than a decade, with annual average employment rising by 205,000 jobs.  Unfortunately, women did not share in these gains.  In fact, between 2010 and 2011 men’s annual average employment in manufacturing increased by 230,000 jobs while women’s dropped by 25,000 jobs.  This divergence was a change from the trend during the recession, when the declines in manufacturing employment were borne proportionately by women and men.

This afternoon, Congress passed a bill to continue federal unemployment insurance (UI), along with the payroll tax cut and the “doc fix,” through the remainder of 2012. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law later today.

In keeping with other major legislation passed by the 112^th Congress, there’s plenty not to like about this bill. But it does ensure that millions of jobless workers will not see their benefits cut off in the months ahead, keeps those benefits flowing through our economy, and preserves the basic structure of the UI program. So let’s start with the positives, shall we?

The good:

• Federal UI programs were set to expire at the beginning of March. Passing this bill in mid-February – a surprise to those of us used to the last-minute deals that have become typical in this Congress – ensures that there won’t be a lapse in UI benefits for the jobless workers and families depending on them.

It's Valentine's Day, and we have an idea about how our Senators could show all Americans how much they care about us!

Millions of hardworking Americans will be cut off of unemployment insurance (UI) unless Congress acts to fully renew the federal UI program that's set to expire at the end of this month. But House Republican leaders are at it again, trying to slash benefits, impose onerous new burdens on unemployed workers, and dismantle the UI system that is a lifeline for so many families.

We need your help! Call your Senators toll-free today at 1-888-245-3381 and ask them to have a heart this Valentine's Day: fully and cleanly renew unemployment insurance for the rest of the year with no cuts and no barriers to benefits! Read more »

They're at it again. I'm sure you remember the feverish news cycle — federal unemployment insurance (UI) benefits were set to expire right before the holidays in December. House Republicans passed a bill that would slash the UI safety net (and more). At the last minute, Congress agreed to continue federal UI benefits for two months. But that extension expires in less than a month. We need your help to prevent millions of unemployed workers from losing the lifeline of UI benefits.

Tell Congress: Fully Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2012 — no cuts, no barriers to benefits!

The House Republican leadership is still pushing to dismantle UI, with drastic benefit cuts and new barriers that would prevent many jobless workers from accessing these vital benefits. Read more »

It's not easy to be an unemployed worker in South Carolina. Unemployment is sky-high, jobs are scarce, and last year the legislature cut state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits down to just 20 weeks — the lowest level in the country.

But while workers and families struggle in this tough economy, the state Senate will soon vote on two bills that would block access to critical UI benefits for many South Carolinians:

• S. 1026 would deny benefits to steady part-time workers — mostly women — who lose their jobs and cannot take on full-time employment due to child care responsibilities or other family obligations.
• S. 1069 would cut benefits for seasonal workers who have lost their jobs by making them ineligible for any benefits during the off-season.

We need your help to stop these bills from moving forward! Click here to look up your state Senator's phone number. Then, call and ask him to vote NO on S. 1026 and S. 1069! Read more »

It’s the first month of jobs data for 2012 and January is off to a good start, according to NWLC’s number crunching this morning. The newly released jobs data for January brought some good news – drops in unemployment and job gains for both women and men this month.

Here are a few things you should know from today’s jobs data:

• Women’s and men’s unemployment is the same for the first time since the start of the recession. When the recession officially began in December 2007, the unemployment rate for both women and men stood at 4.4 percent. Over two and a half years later, their unemployment rates finally meet again – at 7.7 percent. Since the start of the recovery in June 2009, men’s unemployment has dropped 2.2 percentage points, while women’s unemployment has essentially remained flat – rising slightly from 7.6 percent in June 2009.

I’m very happy to report that millions of jobless workers and their families can rest a little easier over the holidays. Last night, House Republican leadership agreed to move forward with a two-month extension of federal emergency unemployment insurance (UI) and other measures, like the payroll tax cut, that were set to expire December 31. This morning, Congress approved a slightly modified version of the extension that the Senate passed 89-10 last Saturday, ending the standoff that began when House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced Sunday that the House intended to reject the Senate bill. President Obama is expected to sign the bill shortly.    Read more »

As I followed the news over the weekend, I felt some measure of relief when the Senate passed a two-month extension of federal unemployment insurance (UI) and other measures like the payroll tax cut on Saturday. No, two months isn’t long enough – it means we’ll be fighting the same battles early in the new year – and yes, it’s disappointing that millionaires still haven’t been asked to contribute an extra dime. But given the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in favor of the Senate compromise bill (89 to 10!), I expected that the House would quickly pass it – and the nearly 2 million unemployed workers who would face benefit cutoffs in January without a federal UI extension might get a little peace during the holiday season.

But no. Suddenly critical of the “short-term fix” that he appeared to support just last Friday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced on Sunday that the House would likely reject the Senate bill. And today, House Republican leaders refused even to allow an up-or-down vote on the two-month extension. Instead, the House voted along party lines to refer the bill to a House-Senate conference committee for negotiation, killing the chance to prevent the UI benefits and payroll tax cut from expiring on December 31. Read more »

No one likes a Grinch. Especially this time of year.

With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Senate just passed a bill temporarily extending federal unemployment insurance programs that expire on December 31. But now, House Republican leaders are threatening to kill the bill, cutting off this vital support for millions of struggling families. Read more »

One of the best cures for the post-holiday blues is the crop of new TV shows in January. One new show on ABC, “Work It”, is definitely going to boost us out of any blues – by making us see red.

According to ABC, “Work It” is: Read more »