Washington, DC--Today, the Service Employees International Union released a statement from Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on today's expiration of unemployment insurance benefits.

Said Burger:

This week, 212,000 people across the country will learn the bleak answer to the question, What's worse than losing your job and having to go on unemployment insurance? The answer: Not being able to go on unemployment insurance.

"As benefits expire today due to Congressional inaction and irresponsibility, Senate Republicans continue to show time and time again a complete insensitivity to the struggles of unemployed Americans. Over the last 2 months, they have blocked extending unemployment insurance 16 times. Their actions add insult to injury to the estimated 44 percent of out-of-work Americans who've been unemployed for longer than 6 months and rely on unemployment benefits as a lifeline.

"While the Senate will likely make unemployment benefits retroactive when they finally act, that's cold comfort to people who need to put food on the table and see their doctors now, not 'retroactively.' Moreover, Congress has needlessly instilled an additional sense of confusion and panic in a group that hardly needs more uncertainty.

"When Congress returns Monday, they should immediately pass a one-year extension of these programs and get to work on longer-term solutions for our jobs crisis.

"Representative George Miller recently introduced the Local Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4812) to put people to work rebuilding communities and to save existing local jobs. This bill represents the sort of bold solution that Congress should embrace. The time for tinkering around the edges and political games is over."

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers -- not just corporations and CEOs -- benefit from today's global economy.

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