Laid Off and Left Out: Renew Unemployment Insurance

Tell Congressional Leaders: Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2013

With all the talk of the looming "fiscal cliff" that the country is facing at the end of this year, politicians and the media are paying precious little attention to the real, dire financial cliff that millions of U.S. workers and their families will face if Congress fails to renew the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program before the year's end.

If Congress fails to reauthorize the federal EUC program, two million workers receiving federal unemployment benefits will be abruptly cut off between Christmas and New Year's.

Nearly one million more workers will run out of state unemployment benefits with no access to federal EUC by the end of the first quarter of 2013. In all, more than five million workers will be unable to collect federal UI benefits next year if Congress fails to act.

Please send a message to Congressional leaders:  Tell them "Don't push jobless Americans off the cliff!"  Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2013.

Of the 12 million unemployed workers in America, 40 percent are long-term unemployed, looking for work for six months or more.  And with the average length of unemployment still more than 40 weeks, the federal EUC benefits are the critical lifeline for those who are looking for work when regular state UI benefits run out.  But if Congress fails to act, federal EUC benefits will end abruptly and completely December 29.

Send a message now!  Tell Congressional leaders: "Don't push jobless Americans off the cliff!"  Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2013.

A recent Congressional Research Service study found that in 2011, unemployment insurance benefited 26 million workers and their families, keeping 2.3 million people out of poverty, including more than 600,000 children.

It would be a human disaster -- a cruel and entirely avoidable one -- if Congress fails to act and allows federal unemployment insurance to expire.  It is imperative for Congress to put partisanship aside and come together to reauthorize EUC for 2013.


Many thanks.
The UnemployedWorkers.Org Team
Mitchell, Chris, Maurice, Judy, Mike, Rick, George, Claire and Norman
www.Unemployedworkers.org