"It just... makes my heart hurt..."
"I can't keep from crying at the thought of how I'm going to take care of my little girl, who, thank the Lord above, has no idea how bad it really is for us,"
--Rebecca, CA.
Imagine what it'd be like to get up early each morning, apply to every job opening possible, not get any responses, care for a two-year-old daughter, and know that your last unemployment check will come on the 31st of this month. Your very last check. That's Rebecca's story.
A vote that could happen in the U.S. Senate as soon as next week which would help Rebecca and the now 5.4 million Americans who've been out of a job for six months or more. Right now, a total of 1.3 million people will run out of unemployment insurance by the end of December 2009.
What's the plan do? Under the Senate plan that is coming up for a vote, unemployed workers in every state will be able to collect 14 weeks of extended jobless benefits. The proposal also extends benefits an additional 6 weeks (to a total of 20 weeks) in states where unemployment is 8.5% or higher.
For many families, time is running out. Hopes of getting a new job are slim as an average of 6 people are competing for each job opening. All of these numbers add up to thousands of families facing cold weather without jobs or income.
When Rebecca told me her story, she ended her email with this:
"I have never cried in front of her, never shown her an upset face, while I sit here in silence worrying about all of this. Hopefully she'll never know. There are people out there that are far worse off than I am, and I think that makes me even sadder. These people, especially single moms, who have been without benefits for months...It just...it makes my heart hurt. Not just because I'm soon to become one of them, but because they're human, just like me."
We can stop this--tell your Senator to support the extended unemployment insurance benefits for these families, just like Rachel's in need!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27314
And PS-- Thanks to NELP for all their great work on this issue!
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