Layoffs of cops, firefighters, teachers create whirlpool effect in towns and cities

Today, the Service Employees International Union released the statement of Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on the latest unemployment figures.

Said Burger:

Although the small decrease in the number of unemployed can only be seen as good news, a worrisome statistic lies underneath: the loss of 41,000 jobs of teachers, social workers, cops and other state and local employees. These numbers represent the tragic stories of a local firefighter who will no longer be putting out fires, a devoted childcare provider whose doors will close, or a police officer whose absence could make the streets just a little less safe.

"While any layoff is one too many, the ripple effects for so many out-of-work public employees will be especially great. The social worker or police officer who loses his job affects not only his immediate family and pocketbook, but the families and pocketbooks of the communities they care for. At a time when communities are already being hard-hit by the recession, we simply can't afford the losses of more state and local workers who provide needed public safety and social services.

"To stop the bleeding, we need Congress to provide immediate relief to state and local governments--without which, we could lose as many as 900,000 jobs-- and Medicaid funding. As the crisis continues, the outlook for long-term unemployment is getting worse. According to today's numbers, more than 41 percent of those who have lost their jobs have been out of work for more than 6 months - more than 6 million Americans. Congress must act now to extend unemployment and COBRA insurance through the end of the year.

"With a crisis of such epic proportions, Congress and this Administration must act boldly and bravely to get people back to work--and to solve the problems that got us here in the first place."

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