Warren, McGovern push for extension of jobless benefits
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., gestures while U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, and Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty listen during a roundtable discussion on unemployment Wednesday at the Workforce Central Career Center on Front Street in Worcester. (T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA)WORCESTER — Tony Caramello's story is one heard many times in today's economy.
At age 55, with 18 years of executive experience under his belt, Mr. Caramello got called into the meeting nobody wants to ever be a part of.
"They told me my services were no longer needed," he said.
His wife is a schoolteacher, which softened the blow somewhat, but unemployment helped fill the gaps as he began a long search for a new job.
He said he never thought he would be asking for an extension on unemployment benefits after his 30 weeks ran out. But he did.
"Things change," Mr. Caramello said.
Things changed for the better for Mr. Caramello. He came to Workforce Central to help focus his job search, and eventually went back to work, with the Marlboro Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Caramello's story was part of a roundtable held Wednesday at Workforce Central that included U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester. The pair are back home trying to build public support for extending federal long-term unemployment benefits, which expired last month.
Ms. Warren said 2,000 people in Massachusetts are losing their unemployment benefits every week because of Congress' failure to act.
She said Republican filibustering led to unemployment benefits being cut off. She called it an attack on working families, while the government continues to provide subsidies to oil companies and "big agri-business."
Pushing back to get unemployment flowing again is morally right, she said. Reinstating unemployment is also good for the economy, she said, quickly giving people money to spend.
"Every dollar gets turned right around," she said.
She said holding up unemployment benefits is a cynical move to keep the economy down and to keep President Barack Obama's agenda from succeeding.
"It's one of our proxy battles in Washington over the direction our country is going," Ms. Warren said.
Mayor Joseph Petty said the idea is not to have people on unemployment forever; he said it's important to have something there for people while they get job training.
Mr. McGovern said he thought it was callous that Congress would adjourn without extending unemployment; he said holding up the benefits amounted to "all-out war against low-income families."
It would seem that the problems this country faces are much larger than can be solved at the local level. When the US got off the gold standard for good in the early seventies and the outsourcing of American jobs became policy for big money this country began an economic slide that had begun in earnest with the adoption of the Federal Reserve Act and the Sixteenth Amendment to our Constitution. The only jobs left that many of our graduating high school seniors can see involve our endless wars around the world. It is my belief that the root problem nationally and internationally is honest money or the lack of. Who ever said "follow the money" seemed to know what they were talking about.
ReplyDeleteAge discrimination rears it's ugly head again, and if you don't believe it, watch the people you know who have worked at the same job for a number of years. You may find that they have finally reached the point in their career where the money is very good, and they are feeling secure only to be called aside for the "talk". I have two friends this happened to, and it is just awful. These people are replaced with someone younger, who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, just like they did years earlier. The reality is that these people will most likely not make the money they made in their earlier job ever again. Trying to find a new position will not be easy because they will be over qualified for what ever jobs are available. Being on unemployment does not feel good for anyone, but having no income will feel a lot worse. Job retraining works for the people willing to take a shot at something new, and it gives these people a second chance to be successful again. That sounds good in my book. Bev.
ReplyDeleteUnemployment benefits should end after 2 years. Period.
ReplyDeletePuffer, that is the most intelligent thing I ever heard from you. I couldn't agree more
Delete