Washington DC – Statistics released by the federal government on Jan. 27 indicate that high unemployment rates persist in a good number of states. California, home to almost 40 million people and the most populous state in the U.S., has an unemployment rate of 7%. In December, Mississippi had the highest unemployment rate of all states, coming in at 7.2%. Topping the list is Washington D.C., with an unemployment rate of 7.3%. Rhode Island and Nevada are also plagued by high unemployment.

In late 2007 much of the capitalist world fell into crisis. While the U.S. economy has expanded in recent years, job growth has been slow and wages have stagnated.

Here in Washington D.C., politicians have been taking aim at programs that serve workers and low-income people. In Dec. 2013, Congress allowed Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) to lapse, cutting millions off extended benefits for the long-term unemployed. Massive Food Stamp cuts will kick into gear later this year.

Steff Yorek, a spokesperson for Freedom Road Socialist Organization states, “Capitalism is good at producing unemployment and hunger and is a failure when it comes to creating decent, good paying jobs that pay enough to feed a family.”

#WashingtonDC #Unemployment #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC

Speaking about unemployed workers, Boehner stated, “I think this idea that’s been born over the last – maybe out of the economy —over the last couple of years that, you know, I really don’t have to work. You know, I don’t really want to do this; I think I’d just rather sit around. This is a very sick idea for our country.”

He then went on to talk the how hard he and other members of his family had to work, stating, “if you wanted something, you worked for it.”

Speaker Boehner and other House Republicans have been blocking efforts to renew extended unemployment compensation (EUC).

When the Democratic leadership failed to make benefits for the long-term jobless part of the budget compromise at the end of last year, Republicans got veto power over extending emergency unemployment benefits.

About 3 million jobless workers have lost out on jobless benefits, causing utility shut-offs, hunger and home foreclosures.

#WashingtonDC #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC #JohnBoehner #AmericanEnterpriseInstitute

San José, CA – On Sept. 5, the Department of Labor’s monthly report on the job market said that employment grew more slowly in August. There was a rise of only 142,000 jobs, much less than the average of about 240,000 for the last six months. In addition, the Labor Department revised down the job gains for June and July by 28,000.

The report also stated that the official unemployment rate ticked down by one-tenth of one percent to 6.1% in August. There was also a large drop (192,000) in the number of long-term unemployed. But rather than finding jobs, many of the long-term unemployed were likely to have given up on finding work. Those who stop looking are then not counted as officially unemployed. The Labor Force Participation Rate, which measures the fraction of working age adults who are either working or looking for work, dropped to 62.8%, matching the rate reached earlier this year, which has not been seen since March of 1978, when fewer women were working.

Back in January, congressional Republicans blocked extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation or EUC. The EUC was designed for unemployed workers whose state benefits, which last only six months, had run out. In January alone, more than a million jobless workers lost their benefits, and since then more than a million more unemployed have lost all their benefits. Many Republicans blame unemployment benefits and the minimum wage for the high unemployment rate.

#SanJoséCA #Unemployment #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #ExtendedUnemploymentBenefits #EUC

St. Paul, MN – Members of the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) gathered outside Governor Mark Dayton’s mansion here, Sept. 4, to demand the governor, along with the Minnesota state government, provide public assistance to everyone who needs it and that they increase the welfare grants.

A statement from the WRC points out, “Governor Mark Dayton is running for re-election. We have seen four years of giveaways to the rich (like to Vikings owner Zygi Wilf). The governor knows the MFIP grants have not been increased since 1986 – but his administration has fought against a grant increase, even though 70,000 kids in extreme poverty. There are hundreds of thousands of others suffering homelessness and poverty who can get no help at all.”

Protest organizers also said that Congress’ failure to pass extended unemployment compensation (EUC) for the long-term jobless means that more people need help. The WRC’s current slogan is, “Give aid to all in need!”

#StPaulsMinnesota #StPaulsMN #PeoplesStruggles #Minnesota #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #MN #EUC

On July 3, prominent conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer said that the recent decline in the unemployment rate was due to cutting unemployment benefits. Krauthammer told Fox News that “the real problem of long-term unemployment was a function of this anomaly of emergency-extended unemployment, which should never have happened, and whose end has contributed to this excellent result. The debate on that extension is over, and the conservatives were right.”

Many Republicans in Congress blame the high unemployment rate on workers who cannot find jobs and assert that poverty is caused by low-income people.

Steff Yorek, a spokesperson for Freedom Road Socialist Organization responded, stating, “No serious person believes that unemployment is caused by the unemployed. Jobs are there or they’re not. Corporations hire people when they think they can make a profit off their labor. If companies think they cannot exploit workers and make some money – the ‘job creators’ create no jobs. It is time for Congress to address the unemployment crisis and restore benefits to the long-term unemployed.”

#WashingtonDC #PoorPeoplesMovements #Unemployment #EmergencyUnemploymentCompensation #EUC #Republicans #DC #CharlesKrauthammer

About 3 million unemployed workers have been denied unemployment insurance since the program was allowed to lapse at the end of last year. Republicans have had the final say over legislation to bring back the long-term unemployment benefits since the December 2013 budget compromise, where the Democratic leadership failed to insist on including an extension in the budget.

A measure to restore extended unemployment passed the Senate earlier this year, but it has been held up by House Speaker John Boehner.

A high rate of unemployment has persisted in the U.S. and much of Europe since 2007, when capitalism underwent its worst crisis since the 1930s.

#WashingtonDC #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC

Last January, Republicans in Congress blocked extension of the Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or EUC. This program provided unemployment benefits to jobless workers whose state unemployment insurance benefits had run out after six months. Over a million jobless workers lost their benefits in January and by now the number is more than 2 million.

Republicans, using free-market economic theory, argued that the EUC benefits were an 'incentive' not to get work, ignoring the facts that there is still a lack of jobs and unemployment insurance on average only covers 30% of one’s wages. But the reality is that the end of extended unemployment insurance benefits just discouraged workers and many gave up looking. They were no longer counted as unemployed (thus helping to push down the unemployment rate from 6.6% in January to 6.3% in May), and in turn pushed down the labor force participation rate.

#SanJoséCA #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC

The bill to restore the long-term unemployment benefits passed the Senate, with a handful of Republican votes, on April 7. Since then House Republican leader John Boehner (R-OH) has refused to allow vote on the measure.

According to reports, Boehner is holding out for an agreement that will link the proposed benefit extension with Republican economic measures. Many analysts view this as a cynical move to torpedo Extended Unemployment Compensation.

The congressional Republican leadership gained effective veto power over legislation to extend unemployment benefits, when the Democratic leadership did now insist on the extensions inclusion in last December’s budgets compromise.

Nearly 3 million workers have lost jobless benefits since they were allowed to lapse on Dec. 28, 2013. As a result, unemployed workers have home foreclosures, car repossessions and hunger.In the aftermath of the large scale economic crisis that hit the U.S. and most other capitalist countries 2007, high unemployment rates have persisted.

In Washington DC, there is a consensus among top Republicans and Democrats to rein in spending by cutting programs that serve working and low-income people. Both parties receive extensive backing from large corporations and wealthy donors.

#WashingtonDC #WashingtoDC #Unemployment #PeoplesStruggles #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC #Wage #Compensation #JackReed

In the Weekly Republican Address, released April 26, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) highlighted the jobs issue but made no mention of moves to bring back jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Speaking of Republican goals Boehner stated, “your priorities are our priorities.”

Nearly 3 million workers have lost out on unemployment benefits, since they were allowed to lapse on Dec. 28, 2013. The failure of the Democratic congressional leadership to insist on including jobless benefits in December’s budget accord set the stage for this crisis.

Unless the Republican leadership agrees to allow debate and a vote on extended unemployment insurance, the measure cannot move forward.

Commenting on the impasse, Stef Yorek of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Politicians from both parties have failed unemployed workers, and so has capitalism. Plans to give more help to the wealth ‘job creators’ are a joke. House politicians need to pass legislation to extend unemployment benefits now.”

#WashingtonDC #ExtendedUnemploymentCompensation #EUC

Labor leaders and activists in every country know the story of the heroic Haymarket Martyrs of Chicago who in 1886 led strikes and militant protests against big industrial bosses and bankers. Some of the labor leaders were American-born, while others were immigrants from Germany and other countries, just like Chicago today. All of them were united in understanding the working class is the basis of social change, a revolutionary class, the class of the future with the right to rule society.

Against the workers, trying to stop the unions and repress the workers’ demand for the eight-hour day, were the big capitalists. The bankers and industrial capitalists broke all the legal rules and hung four of the Haymarket labor leaders. It only outraged industrial workers more and they went on to win the eight-hour day through an international campaign.

Immigrant Rights and Legalization for All!

Today in the U.S., we can thank the immigrant rights movement for the rebirth of May Day. On May 1, 2006 over 2 million working people and their allies poured into the streets of America’s big cities. The immigrant rights mega-marches shut down the repressive, anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner bill that criminalized undocumented immigrants and other working people who show solidarity with them. 120 years after Haymarket, another attack from big business and right-wing politicians was beat back by the power of the people.

The vast majority of the mega-marches were made up of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. By far most undocumented are Mexicano and Central Americans, and so it is no coincidence that their communities rally on May 1. We see the struggle for immigrant rights as part of the struggle for equality by Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans, as well as other oppressed nationalities (African Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and others) who have a history of discrimination and exploitation in the U.S. Immigrant rights is also part of the struggle for self-determination for the Chicano nation in the Southwest.

On May 1 this year, many will march through the streets and hold rallies in cities both big and small demanding immigrant rights. With the failure of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, we think it is important to raise the slogan, “Legalization for All!”

Legalization means immigrant workers have rights and full equality on the job and in society. We want more than CIR proposals that mainly benefit corporations. We want immigrants to be able to form or join unions and improve their pay and lives. It will certainly give Wall Street