What’s the Future for Millions of Jobless Workers
Who Will Lose Their Benefits after November 30?

Millions of unemployed Americans face an even bleaker economic future when their extended unemployment insurance benefits expire Nov. 30, 2010. The nation’s midterm elections will have taken place, but there is little likelihood that the next Congress, even if it remains under the control of Democrats, will rush to extend those benefits once again or will appropriate the hundreds of billions of dollars to create the huge number of public works jobs that are desperately needed.

There are 14.6 million people who are officially classified as unemployed.. More than 6.6 million have been jobless for 27 weeks or more. About 1.3 million have been unable to find work for 99 weeks. What will happen to these people if Congress refuses to extend a lifeline for their survival?

Some experts predict that sympathy for the unemployed may be transformed into indifference or anger against them. The Republicans are charging that living off unemployment benefits has become a way of life for lots of jobless people. Many Democrats are worried that the unemployed are becoming permanent wards of the government. And there is hardly any optimism that Congress will create millions of public works jobs, while it focuses on reducing the federal budget deficit and the national debt.

But what about job creation in private industry? That has been the traditional way by which the country has climbed out of past recessions. But the big corporations are holding back on recalling former employees or hiring new ones. They are asking their employees to take wage cuts and to work harder and longer to meet their production needs. If they require help, they hire temporary workers from an agency.

Some economists have predicted that the jobless rate may not come down from its current 9.5 percent for at least two years and maybe more. So how are jobless people to survive in those years?

Is Sympathy All That Unions Can Give the Jobless?

Unions do not create jobs, but they can influence the government and private industry to create them. The AFL-CIO jobs campaign has been mostly well-crafted speeches by labor leaders and e-mails and phone calls—a torrent of them—by union members. But that will hardly be enough to move the next Congress to initiate far-reaching jobs programs.

Very few unions have actually challenged Wall Street, except verbally, to pay for the millions of jobs it destroyed. Many corporations are reporting significant profits—but unions have not seriously confronted them.about their wage cuts and layoffs. Many have accepted the employer argument that wage cuts and increased production are necessary to make them competitive in the global marketplace. Outsourcing of good-paying jobs continues without much hindrance.

AFL-CIO leaders can compel the big banks to finance the millions of needed jobs—but they should face their CEOs directly with a demand for a generous settlement. We have the leverage—our bank deposits—to persuade them to settle. So why are our leaders letting them off the hook?

We also have the power—if we dare to use it—to put pressure on every member of Congress to consider long-term solutions to the problem of unemployment. We missed our opportunities during Memorial Day and July 4th weekends, when Congress was in recess, but we can apply political pressure during August, when they’re enjoying their vacation or campaigning for re-election.

If we, who are living well, eating well and paying our bills, wish to do something to relieve the plight of the unemployed, we should use aggressive tactics like sit-downs, picketing and other actions to force Congress and Corporate America to consider proposals for including the unemployed in the recovery process. By now, we have learned that speeches and e-mails are not enough.

We can understand why the unemployed feel helpless, leaderless and deeply anxious about the future.. Can we, in good conscience, let them down? –Harry Kelber

LaborTalk (90) will be posted here on August 13, 2010 and on our two web sites, https://www.laboreducator.org/ and www.laborsvoiceforchange.org.