That bone chilling, pit of fear in your stomach feeling.  Could it be Halloween?  Or possibly, could it be the very scary job market?  Currently more than one in six working age adults - or 26.8 million people - are either unemployed or underemployed.  And it's tough to find a job when there’s only one job opening for every five unemployed workers.[1]

Now, something even more frightening is happening, federal unemployment programs that are currently keeping so many families afloat are set to expire on November 30th.

But do we have to sit helplessly quaking in our boots?  No!

We've got the power of our vote and the power of our voice.  Vote this coming Tuesday, November 2nd and sign a petition to Congress RIGHT NOW urging them to make extending unemployment benefits their first order of business when they return in November.

http://action.momsrising.org/go/457

What's happening?  A temporary program of federal jobless benefits, called Emergency Unemployment Compensation, was created in July 2008 to address the needs of the growing ranks of workers who have lost jobs in this recession.  If Congress does not renew the program by November 30th, an estimated 1.2 million workers PER MONTH will be cut off of federal unemployment benefits beginning this holiday season.[2]

This would be a catastrophe for the millions of families struggling to find work.

As Oklahoma MomsRising member Brittany writes,

"My husband lost his job when he was laid off along with my best friend's husband and my mother. At the time I was pregnant with our first child and, it scares me to think of what the stress of having nothing but my paycheck to support us would have done to my unborn son. Having unemployment insurance was what got us through the roughest times."

Not only do unemployment insurance benefits help families struggling with job loss, they also provide an essential boost to our economy.  When families have the resources they need to stay afloat, banks receive mortgage payments, utility bills are paid, and grocery stores in hard hit communities still have customers.  These businesses then also help our economy by buying supplies and paying employees, who in turn, spend their incomes elsewhere in the economy.  It is estimated that each dollar spent on unemployment insurance generates an additional $1.61 of economic activity. This economic activity is critical to the full recovery of our economy. [3]

Tell Congress to boost America's economy and support our children and families by extending unemployment benefits in November.

http://action.momsrising.org/go/457

Please forward this message on to friends and families and also remind them to vote this coming Tuesday, November 2nd!

Thank you for your work on behalf of America's families.  Together, we have the power to spook Congress into action this Halloween season.

SOURCE

[1,2,3] NELP Briefing Paper.  Out in the Cold for the Holidays.

P.S.  Big thank you to the National Employment Law Project for their work on this issue!