LANSING – As unemployment hovers at 15 percent with 731,000 residents out of work, State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) 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, Sheltrown warned that by year's end nearly 100,000 Michigan workers will have their unemployment lifeline cut unless action is taken.
"We must show our hard-working residents that they are just as important as the big corporations and financial institutions that have been bailed out," Sheltrown said. "In these tough economic times, Michigan families are being hit the hardest. I urge the Senate to pass this plan that will give our workers the training and skills they need to land the good-paying, high-tech jobs of the 21st century economy."
Under a plan Sheltrown voted for 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.
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.
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.
The House has 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.
"Passing this plan is the right thing to do for our state and for our workers," Sheltrown said. "Many of our residents just need time to get back on their feet and retrain for the jobs that are available now. The Senate can't let a plan that could help turn our economy around pass us by."
NOTE: The bills in the package are House Bills 4785 and 4786