Can’t wait for Washington

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the editor:
   
This is the season when we pay special attention to the large gap between those who have, and those who have not. The focus is on gifts, abundance, and celebration. But too many New Jersey families faced a bleak holiday under the shadow of extended unemployment. Shut out by the declining economy, laid off workers, from displaced executives to struggling single mothers, are exhausting their regular unemployment (UI) benefits with no job prospects in sight. Ironically, many of these workers qualify for extended benefits. But, for 37,000 New Jerseyans, their benefits expired Saturday, three days after Christmas, a sorry present for these struggling families. Federal legislation that would have extended UI benefits through March for these workers was not acted upon by Congress, and the holiday recess for federal lawmakers meant that there would be no immediate extension. We in New Jersey must step up to the plate immediately to provide a stop gap measure for our own unemployed workers.
   These New Jerseyans have been looking long and hard for work, but the jobs are not there. According to the New Jersey Department of Labor, the state’s unemployment rate for October had increased to 5.5 percent. At this time last year, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. Continuing job cutbacks and outsourcing have resulted in a much deeper pool of eligible candidates from which potential employers can choose. As forecasters predict a weak job market through the second quarter of 2003, the job search is becoming more difficult. Additionally, according to the Gross Domestic Product, the U.S. economy shrank in the third quarter to its worst performance in more than ten years. This is the result of an economy that has been assaulted by a stock market collapse, corporate fraud, terrorist attacks, and a pending war with Iraq.
   On Nov. 25, I introduced legislation (S2114) to provide an additional 13 weeks of emergency UI for New Jersey’s unemployed. This bill will provide income security for working families, giving them access to much needed UI benefits. My legislative office has received many calls regarding mortgage foreclosures, unpaid rent, utility shut-offs, and heating problems, all due to unemployment. This additional benefit will help to carry many families through the holiday season and will give them extra time to find work. The benefits of this bill do not end there. Extended UI benefits will help to spur consumer spending during the holiday season, generating much needed tax dollars for the State Treasury. With New Jersey’s UI Funds showing a cash balance of $2.4 billion, there is sufficient coverage available to cover the costs of this bill without an increase in UI taxes for employers. If and when the Federal government acts on its UI extension legislation, New Jersey’s UI Fund would be reimbursed.
   S2114 is currently pending in the Senate Labor Committee. I have asked that this bill be considered by the Committee on its first meeting date, Jan. 9. We can’t wait for Washington to deliver its package. We should take responsibility for our own and provide an unemployment extension package for New Jersey’s recession casualties. We must put New Jersey’s families first and provide them with the financial security they need.
Shirley K. Turner
senator, NJ 15th District