Governor moves to restore jobless benefits, June 3, 2011
-Click here to see the full text of Executive Order 93
On April 16, 2011, 37,000 North Carolinians suddenly had their extended unemployment benefits cut off, leaving many with no income at all to live on. The reason? The unemployed workers were thrust in the middle of the state budget fight when GOP members attached a rider to a bill that would have made Gov. Bev Perdue agree to a deeply cut budget in exchange for letting the federally-funded benefits pass through to the 37,000 jobless. Perdue, a Democrat, vetoed the bill saying she would not bow to political ploys that put people’s livelihoods at risk. None of the benefits have been restored. The benefits were finally restored by Gov. Perdue on June 3, 2011 with Executive Order 93
Profiles and Articles from NC Policy Watch
More from NC Policy Watch
GOP legislator pays jobless worker $8 for yard work, chides her in email
Rep. Stephen LaRoque, a Kinston Republican, was the subject of this Huffington Post story earlier this afternoon, where it reported he paid one of the 46,000 jobless workers without unemployment benefits $8-an-hour to do yard work at his house.[Continue Reading…]
Day 40: Number of unemployed without benefits goes up, again
The number of people being affected by a standoff in the state legislature over unemployment benefits has ticked upwards again, now at 43,000 and 46,000 people. [Continue Reading…]
Berger: Fix for the unemployed not coming until July
The 42,000 to 45,000 North Carolinians cut off from their extended unemployment benefits since April 16 will have to wait longer, if GOP Senate Leader Phil Berger’s move to fix the stalemate is hinged to the state budget process. [Continue Reading…]
Week 5: Jobless woman barely hangs on without unemployment benefits
Chrissy Martin (who asked we not use her real name) spoke to us a few weeks ago about her struggle to stay afloat after the extended unemployment benefits she depended on her were held up by GOP members of the state legislature on April 16. When we first talked with her, Martin, a 41-year-old former teacher and assistant in a doctor’s office, had gotten served with an eviction notice and was waiting for her power to be shut off. Now, 37 days into the impasse, nearly all of Martin’s furniture is being auctioned off and she’s waiting for a sheriff’s deputy to come to lock her out of her Charlotte apartment anyday. [Continue Reading…]
37,000? Could be more like 45,400 jobless hostages as stalemate lingers
The number of unemployed North Carolinians who had their benefits suddenly cut off when their federally-funded benefits were held up by GOP state legislators has grown. As many as 45,400 may be affected, according to rough estimates provided by N.C. Employment Security Commission spokesman Larry Parker. [Continue Reading…]
The legislature’s cruel refusal to renew unemployment benefits is a new low point in government malfeasance… [Continue Reading…]
The Double-Speaker strikes again
Tillis plumbed new depths of deception and disingenuousness when he claimed that Governor Perdue was the person holding 37,000 unemployed workers hostage because of her unwillingness to “compromise” with Republicans… [Continue Reading…]
GOP blocks amendment to help unemployed workers
Things have now sped past the point of absurdity in the GOP’s vengeful effort to block the renewal of unemployment benefits for 37,000 workers and their families…[Continue Reading…]
Berger: Benefits for 37,000 jobless still in limbo (with updates)
Senate GOP Leader Phil Berger said at his weekly press conference this morning that he has no immediate plan for dealing with the 37,000 unemployed workers whose benefits were cut off on April 16. “No movement on that, for now,” Berger said, in response to a reporter’s question… [Continue Reading…]
Amazing new GOP hypocrisy on the unemployed
It’s bad enough that legislative Republicans have been holding 37,000 families hostage for three weeks by refusing to authorize the continuance of federally-funded unemployment benefits to which they are entitled; now the GOP has the gall to schedule debate on another bill that purports to deal with the problem of unemployed workers… [Continue Reading…]
It was hard not to notice the contrast at the Legislative Building Wednesday. While Senate Democrats held a hearing about help for unemployed workers, the House Appropriations Committee was approving a budget that could throw another 15,000 people out of work. [Continue Reading…]
Audio and Video
- Greg Georgaras discusses how the stalemate on unemployment benefits split his young family, 05/16/2011 [audio:http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/News-and-Views-for-5-15-2011-SEGMENT-THREE.mp3|titles=Greg Georgaras discusses how the stalemate on unemployment benefits split his young family]
- 41-year-old former teacher Chrissy Martin on the inaction of NC legislators to help 37,000 unemployed workers, 05/09/2011 [audio:http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/News-and-Views-for-5-08-2011-SEGMENT-THREE.mp3|titles=41-year-old former teacher Christy Zemcik on the inaction of NC legislators]
- Senator pleads with GOP to “Do the right thing” with jobless benefits (video), 06/01/2011
- Rep. Rapp: “I’m not sure how they sleep at night”, 5/31/2011
- Luebke: It’s “illogical” to tie jobless benefits to budget (audio), 05/26/2011
- Stein: GOP benefits stalemate ‘callous to the first degree’ (audio), 05/18/2011
- Nesbitt: GOP wants to make “crazy trade” for federal jobless benefits, 05/11/2011
- NAACP President: “They’ve been about regression, regression, regression”, 04/26/2011
Newspaper Editorials and Articles
- Editorial: Reach agreement on jobless benefits -Greensboro News and Record, May 28
- Holding the unemployed hostage a political charade -Asheville Citizen-Times, May 25
- Tom Campbell: Unemployment benefits drama -The Daily Reflector, May 21
- Hope hard to find for NC jobless with benefits cut -The Sun News, May 20.
- GOP should heed Carolyn Justice’s advice and free up jobless benefits -Star News Online, May 19.
- Victims of politics -News & Observer, May 18.
- Man-made disaster for long-term unemployed -News & Observer, May 17.
- N&O fact check: Delay for jobless starts with GOP -News & Observer, May 17.
- Political spat echoes beyond capital -Charlotte Observer, May 14.
- Still waiting for lawmakers to do the right thing -Asheville Citizen-Times, May 11.
- Legislature’s disdain of jobless is appalling -Charlotte Observer, May 6.
- Perdue and GOP leadership need to cut deal to help unemployed -Wilmington Star News, April 30.
