I received more than 300 letters from those who submitted letters to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support .

The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held a hearing on June 10 titled: Hearing on Responding to Long-Term Unemployment. I asked readers of Rochester Unemployment Examiner to send me letters they wrote to the Committee that they also wanted to have published.* Below are a few of those letters. I’ll be posting other letters on a regular basis.

While you can no longer submit letters to House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support hearing, you can send your letters to me at mike@layofflist.org and I’ll publish them at Rochester Unemployment Examiner or at http://layofflist.org. Your stories are important and hopefully some of the clueless ones in Congress read them to see how their actions, or inactions, can harm Americans from all corners of the nation.

I want to thank all of you for including me in your letters to the Hearing. I will do my best to reply to each and every one of you.

As you can see from the following letters, this jobless recession has affected people of varied careers, education, and backgrounds. While many Americans will be enjoying their summer vacations and hosting backyard barbeques, there will be millions who won’t be enjoying their summer because their congressional representatives have abandoned them at the worst possible time.

Here are those letters:

From KB in AZ:

I am an award-winning human services professional who enjoys helping people, communities, and agencies expand their capacity to the fullest.  It has been my calling for most of my life.  I am ABD having completed my doctoral dissertation though I ran out of money before I could do my re-writes.  I did all of this because I wanted to learn as much as I could to be the best I could be as a community development professional.

My graduate education was primarily funded by student loans and I want to pay those student loans.  However, I was laid off 2 years ago when the economy went bad.  Since then I have been applying for positions of all kinds…kitchen work, janitorial, office work…it doesn’t matter as long as I don’t have to feel like a freeloader.  In the past 2 years I have lost my car and almost had my mobile home foreclosed on.  In a rural area where I live with no public transportation there is very little hope of working, so I have submitted resumes all over the country.

Thanks to the program that allowed for a re-packaging of my home loan (I have lived here 20 years) my home was saved by lowering the payments.  The payments and home insurance were made using my unemployment, now that the unemployment has ended, I don’t know how I will keep paying the mortgage.  I am 58 years old and my husband of 36 years is 72.  His disability insurance pays the bills but not the mortgage.  I never in my life thought things would end up like this.  I want to work but nobody will hire me.  I have even tried to be a VISTA volunteer and no one has picked me.

I am at my wit’s end.  I send out 10-20 resumes a week.  I have revised my resume several times using tips from employment agencies.  I have a resume for doing kitchen work, office work, and then my professional one.  I know there are people in the country with children who are having an even more difficult time of it and I make a daily list of things to be grateful for.  Still, it seems to me that given the great numbers of unemployed, it would make sense to extend a Tier 5 until the economy gets better.  Or, even better, create jobs that could help America through these hard times.  I would work just for living expenses.  At this point, it is hard to believe that I was chosen as Executive Director of the year for the State of Arizona by my peers.

Please try and think of ways to take advantage of the skills and knowledge that those of us who are unemployed have.  We can help get through this if you let us.  Thank you for reading my story.

From AMS in PA:

My name is AMS and I am from northeastern Pennsylvania.  I am 38 years old and have been unemployed since April 2008 after being separated from my job as assistant manager with a regional sporting goods retail chain.  Currently, I am in my third week of Tier 4 Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and without more weeks of Tier 4 or a Tier 5 added, my benefits will end in early or mid-July.  My primary background is in public relations and communications – I was a journalism major in college, graduating with honors from a small liberal arts school in 1994.  None of the above seem to be very good fields in this economy.  I also have good professional experience in customer service and retail.  Prior to being separated from my company in 2008, I had worked since I was 17 years old, including summer jobs in high school and college and parttime work in various campus offices as an undergraduate.

Over the past two years I have applied for numerous jobs in various fields, both fulltime and parttime.  In addition, I have registered with several temporary agencies.  One of the most frustrating parts of the job search process is the lack of communication from employers.  Many applications are done over the internet, and applicants rarely hear back from the employers.  It has also been indicated in the news lately that companies are unwilling to hire workers who are unemployed or who have been out of work for a long time.  This is just wrong.

In addition to an extensive job search, I have accepted any parttime, seasonal work that I can get.  I have helped at a local college in their campus police office during back-to-school time and also with their home athletic events.  I have also worked at our local visitors center during the busy Christmas holiday season.  Unfortunately, the visitors center was unable to hire as many workers this past winter due to budget cuts, so I was unable to work there during the 2009 holiday season.  I have been able and available for any work offered to me.

A scary part of this situation is being a Type 1 diabetic without health insurance.  My 18 months of COBRA expired October 31, 2009 and I was unable to obtain medical assistance from my county government because it was determined that my $280.00 weekly unemployment benefit was too high.  Taking care of my diabetes without insurance and on a very limited income is very hard, but I am doing the best I can.  My diabetes is under control – all of my doctors would agree that I am handling it very well and am employable.  I am so afraid that if I have no money coming in and can’t afford to take care of myself, I will end up in the hospital, or worse.  All I want to do is get a decent-paying job with good benefits including healthcare.  However, I am aware that in the near future I may have to accept parttime or temporary work until something else comes along.  In the meantime, I need some kind of income to live on.

I am currently living in a small two-bedroom apartment with my parents, who are in their 70s and both have physical problems of their own.  They live on a fixed income of social security and a parttime job that my father has as a campus police dispatcher at a local college.  I would love to be able to contribute to my household financially, but unfortunately right now that is not possible as I am just able to pay my bills and other expenses with unemployment funds.  I have tried to cut back financially, but there are certain bills and other expenses that must be paid.  I am worried that if my unemployment ends in July, I will not be able to pay bills or afford my medical expenses, nutritious food, gas for the car to get to possible job interviews, etc.  This will cause a very big strain not only on myself, but also on my parents, who do not deserve this after working very hard all their lives.

Thank you very much for reading my story and those of the others like me in this country.  We need your help right now in this difficult time.  Respectfully submitted, June 8, 2010.

From RM in WI:

I have been unemployed now for almost three years.  I realize that I may have used up all of my unemployment benefits but I’ve only been getting a little over $200 a week.  My husband is retired and receiving social security.  He was forced into early retirement at the age of 62.  I have been trying everywhere, including over a 30 mile radius within my area of living to try and find work–any work.  I’m usually an office clerk with data entry skills and knowledge of computers but the jobs I’ve been applying for have been part-time housekeepers, hotel clerks, all night dispatcher, etc.  I cannot find anything in the field I’ve worked in for over 30 years.   I’ll take any kind of work if I can just FIND ANY!  I can’t get an answer back from some of the places where I’ve applied and when I do and I go in for an interview, with the looks they give me I know I’m not wanted there.  I turn 61 this month and I know that it’s turning a lot of people off as far as hiring me.

If I could find a good job, I would not retire next year but would keep on until at least 66 or maybe even 70 years of age.  I feel I am a good asset to any office but that’s not what some people are seeing.  I know they are looking at someone who they consider “over the hill” and not worth a second look, much less a chance to prove themselves.

I really need and depend on the emergency unemployment.  It helps us to pay our bills and buy food and our medications.  My husband’s social security check will not do it alone.

I’m asking that you PLEASE allow more emergency unemployment to come my way until I can find a job or am forced into retirement and social security next year.

The State of Wisconsin needs to allow this to happen for not only myself but so many others.  I’m asking, and I’m not too proud to beg, that you help us.

Thank you for your time,

From GV in NY:

Chairman McDermott

Please Help and extend benefits.

I have been unemployed since February 2009.  My work history speaks for itself.  Educated, motivated and eager to find a job that will improve my life and stop dwindling down my savings, which slowly empties day by day just to live.  Do you have any idea what it takes to find a job that will pay the bills as they use to be paid, and have a little to spare.

Here’s the rest of my story 61 years old soon to turn 62 and going broke day by day.   The jobs are not plentiful and are paying nothing, but you continue to give to banks, fight the wars, and give money to other countries when you cannot support the unemployed??  I like the bonuses that Wall Street continues to give out.  But AIG is the worst of them and you gave them money but will not help us.  Please explain? So next for me will be food stamps and welfare?  Why do this?  I hope you realize just how many people are still unemployed, please don’t sugar coat the fact that the economy is getting better, it is not.  Say hi to Louise (Slaughter) I voted for her & she was a friend of my Dad’s.

From FP in NJ:

My name is FP, I am 35 years old and I have been unemployed since December, 2007.  I was a licensed title insurance settlement agent and have been my entire adult life.  I was laid off because the company I was working for had begun to downsize due to the failing economy.  This company eventually closed its doors for good.

In the midst of searching for work, my husband was laid off from his job due to downsizing.  This company eventually closed its doors for good as well.  This left us in a very bad financial situation as we were both unemployed at the same time and there were very few jobs to choose from.

This led to the foreclosure of our very first home which we are in the midst of negotiating with the lender for a short-sale.  We are being sued by our homeowner’s association because we have been unable to pay our association fees.  We have countless collection agencies calling and hounding us for money that we don’t have and we can barely afford groceries.

My husband finally found a job in September, 2009 but to our dismay, several months later, he was forced to take a pay cut due to the failing economy.

So, at this point, there is only one income coming into our house which is now significantly less than it was when my husband started his position.  The cost of living is rising and paychecks are decreasing.  I can not find any work and have been applying to every store, fast-food restaurant, company, etc. that I can think of.

We can’t apply for government assistance or food stamps because my husband has a job and according to them, “We make too much money.”  Well, we’ll see about that when you are passing us by on the street.  Oh, yeah, we’ll be the ones living in a cardboard box!!!

You have no idea how much it would help if additional unemployment benefits were given to those of us who have already exhausted our 99 weeks.  Don’t you want to see the economy improve?  Extend unemployment benefits for those of us who have nowhere left to go but downward.

From MM in AZ:

My name is MRM, I’ve been an Arizona resident since February 2009.  My work history comes from California, I have yet to secure employment in AZ.  I got laid off from Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. Dec. 31, 2002.  After that I could not find an employer willing to hire me as an FTE.  They avoided a head-count/benefit increase due to the beginning of the faltering of the economy that finally caught up with the rest of the country.   Employers avoided hiring FTEs by using contractors, temps and off-shoring jobs.

I am an Executive Assistant and temporary jobs were unavailable to me in 2008.  I moved to AZ early 2009 in hopes of finding a position in a smaller venue.  I’ve had 2 interviews despite submissions of hundreds of resumes.  I was laid off December 31, 2007 from a contract position of 16 months through Adecco working at the Bank of America Concord Tech Center in California.  I managed to survive on unemployment benefits until they were completely exhausted March 2010.  Since then, the help of friends and family have kept me from homelessness.  That will end very soon, they have families and their own needs.  Two of my sisters who work for the City of Los Angeles have 6 furlough days per month between them, including losses in pay for the days that they do work.  They are unable to help me, as they are stumbling themselves.  My younger sister who is on the Social Security Disability Ticket to Work Program, moved in with me so we could pool our resources in order help one another survive.

I just qualified for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program benefits last week, Food Stamps May 7^th , which were supposed to be issued today for June, but my worker still had the hold on them pending receipt of additional paper work that I provided May 12^th.  I am still awaiting the decision on AHCESS healthcare benefits June 16^th.

My parents came to this country to make sure we were afforded the opportunities their country lacked.  I was born and educated in America, upper middle class.  All of my siblings and I have 4 year college degrees.  I’ve 20+ years of work experience and I’ve been reduced to poverty.  My younger sister went back to school to get her Bachelor’s Degree and she too can’t find work, despite more than 20 years of finance and teaching experience.

I would like to close with a quote from a local AZ newspaper last week:

“We now have one trillion reasons to oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On 5/30, those 2 wars cost one trillion for operations alone, not even counting the interest on the debt of that borrowed money, or the healthcare cost for returning vets.  It is an amount so incomprehensible that it can only be understood in terms of what it could have bought, rather than missiles and destruction. For one trillion dollars, we could immediately give everyone of the 15.4 million unemployed people in the U.S. a 50K job and still have 235 Billion left over…” Eric Stone, Mesa, AZ

From FO in NJ:

TO WHOM IT CONCERNS,

I HAVE BEEN OUT OF WORK SINCE AUGUST 2008 DUE TO DOWNSIZING. I AM ONE OF THE “99ER’S” WHO IS ABOUT OT LOSE MY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN A FEW WEEKS. I HAVE SENT OUT 1000′S OF RESUMES WITH LITTLE OR NO REPLY. “I AM TOO QUALIFIED, I AM NOT QUALIFIED ENOUGH”. I AM GOING CRAZY. MY CREDIT CARDS ARE AT THE LIMITS, I AM BEHIND ON PAYMENTS IN SOME. MY CREDIT SCORE IS HORRIBLE. I AM ABOUT TO BE KICKED OUT OF MY APARTMENT. I HAVE NO FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS ARE IN THE SAME BOAT.

I WILL BE LIVING IN MY CAR SOON WITH MY CAT BELLA. PLEASE EITHER CREATE A TIER 5 EXTENSION OR FIND ME A JOB. I HAVE NOTHING TO LIVE FOR.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME,

FO AND BELLA

From KCS in CA:

My name is KCS, I have been laid off since 03/2008. I worked for (company) for twenty three years, the ten last years as a District Manager. I have been on over thirty five interviews, some people say that I am over qualified others say they thought I would not take the pay. I would take anything right now because my gas, phone and electric are all off right now as I speak.

I have never asked for anything free and I lost my job for no reason but the company had to cut back and sixty two of us are all out of jobs now of our faults will be homeless in two more months if nothing happens I look for work every day even Saturday and Sundays. And if they do ok this extension it needs to be retroactive so that we who have lost so much can get caught up.

PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE HELP US AND PASS A TIER 5 EXTENSION.

From RW:

I have been unemployed since December 31st of 2008. I’ve been drawing unemployment checks since then. I received a letter yesterday saying my benefits have expired and after talking to a representative today it was confirmed. I thought a bill was passed so I could receive benefits for “99″ weeks? There was a big deal made of it like it was the next coming.

Now, I can’t pay my utilities or house payment which I’ve struggling to do even with the benefits.

I’ve tried to reduce my house payment 3 times now and keep getting rejected. The first time I was told I had too much money in my checking/savings. At the time, I had around $4500. That was all the money I had in the world. They said as long as I had enough money to make 3 house payments, I didn’t qualify for a loan modification. After paying general bills and house payments, 2 months later, I was down to $2000. Again, I was rejected saying I don’t have proof of earnings sufficient for a modification. I’d sent them all my unemployment info. The last time I tried, I received a letter from them saying they recommend I sell my home. I owe $80000 on my home that was valued at $450000 just 2 years ago and now is valued at $200000. Even if I decided to sell, people can buy a brand new home for the same amount and….where would I go. I worked all my life since graduating HS and paid taxes to ensure something like this wouldn’t happen to me when I get older and look what’s happening. I can’t find a job at age 62 and am at the mercy of others who really don’t care what happens to me.

And, not even mentioning health insurance which has to be paid. I was aided by Cobra which, by the way, just ended this month also so I have to pay the full premium which I can’t afford.

I could go on and on but I’m sure you’ve heard it all before.

I guess my question is what happened to the “99″ weeks of benefits that were supposed to be in effect?

Thank you,

From SD in FL:

I am sending the following suggestion instead of telling my story which I am sure is fairly typical.  I am now 58 years old and have worked steadily since the age of 19.  Two years ago I was laid off from an administrative assistant position with a property management company primarily due to the downturn in the building industry.  When I began to look for work, I was faced with age discrimination and a general lack of job openings.  I have now run out of unemployment benefits.  My suggestion is as follows:

Since the latest jobs report last month indicates an increase in hiring that is largely due to the Federal Governments’ employment of census workers, I believe the answer to the unemployment problem lies with the Federal Government doing what government has historically done in the past—create jobs programs which will put people to work, and give the jobless paychecks instead of unemployment checks. We are spending money on the unemployed anyway so why not get something back?  I see government jobs programs as win-win situation—the unemployed get their dignity back and the government gets workers to do things like clean up beaches in the Gulf and so many other things that need to be done.  Considering that there are so many professional, highly skilled, well educated people who are out of work, they surely must have something to contribute.  Only government can and should do this.  Instead of preaching to private industry to create jobs, the Federal Government should set an example and start the ball rolling.

From DM in CA:

HEART to HEART……Hardship in California.  We need a Tier V!

Tier V for the long term unemployed should be considered and approved.  It’s necessary, justified and the Democratic thing to do.

I’m a 50 year old female living in CA.  I was laid off in August of 2008 from (company) after a 15 year career in the middle of the recession.  Since then, it’s been unbelievably difficult to find work.  I have sent out about 1,500 resumes.  I’ve made sacrifices and cutbacks and have no industry or salary boundary or preference.  My 99 weeks is about to come to an end and sadly, still no job.  California has been hit hard and unemployment is still very high.  The state keeps cutting back on services and there are many layoffs.  The job market is stagnant, competitive and just discouraging. This feels like a war!  A war against the middle class and average American Citizen!

I had a great job with (company)and didn’t ask to be put into this situation.  I’ve worked hard all my life to not be in this predicament.  I’m not looking for a handout.  These are unprecedented times and this is a matter of urgency.  Weeks if not months go by literally with no acknowledgement or response to our endless efforts of applying for jobs.  During several interviews I was lucky enough to get, 100 or more people applied for the same position.  It’s awfully frustrating.  At this point, it’s a matter of luck!

What did we do to deserve this!

Extending Unemployment Insurance for the working class and long term unemployed would avoid a lot of pain and help us to survive while we keep looking for work and hope that the economy begins to rebound.

Welfare and Food Stamps as my means of survival is unacceptable and ultimately will cost everyone more!

Thank you for your time.

DLM in CA:

Dear Committee:

I’ve been asked to tell you my story in hopes to gain support from the elected officials that I have put into office.  I have read many stories from different sources about unemployment which included internet news, newspapers, unemployment websites, magazines and local area work centers about the numbers that are unemployed.  I’m one of them.

I have been working since I was thirteen years old.  I’m 56 years old at this time, female.  I do understand that some people take advantage of unemployment benefits.  In my lifetime I have not been considered lazy or one to take advantage of the system.  I grew up with morals and values for right and wrong.  I have raised two children on my own with no support from others.  I had started college very young but was unable to finish by my own choice.  I had decided to raise my children and to continue to work.  The most recent company I was working for had to lay me off because work was slow.  I was in a management position and the owner decided she could run the business herself and save money.  I have a wide range of experience in Management and as an Executive in the business industry.  I had decided it might have been my resume that was holding me back from a good position.  Well I paid a professional resume writer to rewrite my resume so it would be more competitive and appealing for the market.  Which did get me a few interviews.

I have applied for many different jobs, from management, customer service, retail, and office personal with no success.  I have used many free job finder services, from local employment agencies, local craiglists, monster.com, and even in different cities for jobs, Usajobs, and many more.  When I’ve had job interviews, I realized that there are other people with more qualifications which included Master degrees, Bachelor degrees and more college education for different entry level jobs which just had one open position.    Today on the local area news people had been lining up about 600of them outside of Campbell Soup Company since 5:00 am to be notified to get index cards to fill out so they could fill out applications later.  It almost turned out to be a riot.  It’s very disappointing and very disheartens when I hear people say that I’m lazy or not looking for a job.   I’ve been going back to college for the past year to further my education to be more competitive for different jobs and looking for fulltime work at the same time.

In the meantime, since I have no income or benefits at this time.  I’ve been selling different things, couch, table and chairs, trying to make any money to pay my bills.  Just to keep things going until my school checks come in, I’ve been living within my means.  It’s scary.   I understand that unemployment benefits are only for a short time but I’ve never had to compete with so many people for the same job.  I’m worried for the long term too.  Hoping that maybe with the education I’m getting I might be able to start a little bookkeeping business.  But, that’s going to take some time and money.   It’s an idea that could work.  There are just too many people just like me in the same boat.  I’ve almost been out on the streets with other people no home or place to live.  Don’t understand why the politicians help so many other people in the world, but think we just might go away.  Well, I’m still here.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. 
Sincerely,

DLM,

Mother, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, Cousin and Grandmother

From SW in TX:

As of the writing of this statement, I am a 59 year old woman who lost her job on January 18, 2009 from a law firm here in Houston, Texas where I worked as a paralegal/legal secretary.  I have been unemployed for a year and a half.  I have been searching for a job daily since I became unemployed.  During this time I have been searching on line on all the job sites.  I am listed with numerous head hunters; I have applied for jobs on Craig’s List and attended job fairs.  What I have found is that there are no jobs.  I have had 4 interviews in a year and a half.  There are numerous other individuals applying for these positions as well.  The office managers for the various law firms have told me that I am over qualified for the positions that I have applied for as they are looking for younger individuals, with less experience who will work for a lot less money.   Although I have indicated that I would accept 1/3 to 1/2 less than I have been making I am still passed over.  I have applied for part-time positions and contract positions but have never gotten an interview and no one has responded to my resume.  Since I am 59 years old and will be 60 years old in October they look at me as being ready for retirement and will probably only work for another few years.  I have been asked on many occasions if I will be retiring when I turn 65 which is only 7 years away.

My savings have run out, I am on food stamps and have a disabled brother that I have to take care of and I have no insurance and have medication for my heart which I need daily and will soon be unable to get because I will have no money at all to pay for it.  My unemployment will be exhausting soon and I have nowhere to turn for help.

My unemployment check is just enough to take care of my mortgage payment but soon I will not be able to pay it and will probably lose my home.  I have talked with Bank of American who holds the mortgage on my home and they have turned me down every time I have spoken with them about a mortgage modification because all I have is unemployment and no job to be able to make continuous payments; although, so far my payments have always been on time.  I can’t even sell my home because of the economy and the fact that my home is underwater.

If we don’t get additional unemployment or some alternative I will be on the street with a disabled brother with nowhere to go since I have exhausted everything.

So far you have subsidized wars, tax cuts, you have made bail outs to auto makers, banks and have sent money to Greece when you have millions of older people here in the US who need help and can’t get it.   I have worked hard and played by the rules and I lost my job through no fault of my own and so have millions of others just like me and we would like to be bailed out.

An alternative for people my age who are being pushed out of the workforce because of our age is to let us take retirement and get our social security so that we will have money coming in.  I have worked all my life and have had no help.  I should at least be able to have money coming in until I reach the age for social security because there are no jobs out there for me.  The majority of people who cannot get a job are older people like me and we deserve some relief.

From GS in PA:

I have been unemployed since December 2007. I have been looking for a full time employments ever since.

Right now, I am living on a part par time job. I work 2-3 days a week 4 hours a day at $7.25 an hour. I had to ask my friends and family to pay my gas bill and light bill. My phone service will be off within the next few days.

I do not even have money to get to interviews. I have applied for over 150 jobs at PNC Bank here in Pittsburgh. I have applied for hundreds of jobs at other companies. I even wrote to four CEO’s of companies to ask for jobs. I have written to several other owners of companies in other states.

I will not be able to go to my friends and family for very long. The unemployment I was receiving helped me keep my bills paid. I have a daughter I have to take care of. I have to feed her, and cloth her. How can I do that with $232.00 dollars a month? Yes, I get food stamps; I get $200.00 dollars a month. It does not last the whole month. I have to ask my family for food, or money to buy food.

Please we need to have a Tier 5 added on. If I do not get a full time job soon, I will be force to live in a shelter. How the US government cans lets us suffer like this. PLEASE WE NEED HELP, HELP US.

Thank you

From EH in NJ:

Committee Members

I am writing to you to tell you of my need for the extension of Tier 5 Unemployment Benefits.

I have been out of work since November 2008 and cannot find any work with diligent effort on my part to find any job—resumes, want ads, Internet, newspapers, applications to any possible opportunities, etc.

My family—wife, daughters and I have managed to subsist only on the Unemployment Benefits we have received.  The expenses for food, shelter, medical (doctors and medications), jobs search, utilities and auto have been eked out.  All of our savings and monetary assets are gone.

Now, with the cessation of my Tier 4 benefits, I have nowhere to turn except to plead my case to you.  Of course, I must continue my employment search.  I implore you to extend these benefits to help us.

You must also find solutions to create jobs and prevent them from leaving our country—and you should start in New Jersey to alleviate the excessive unemployment here.  I am willing and able to work at any possible job that can be offered.

Please consider this plea favorably—I am certain there are thousands of families like mine right here in New Jersey and throughout our country—as we have nowhere to turn.

Our fate is in your hands.

From MS in OK:

I want to express my views on the topic of long-term unemployment for those who have exhausted all their assistance.

I among others are seeking assistance from the federal government for help.  I have not had any working income since March 2008, and no unemployment since January 2010.  Although we have bailed out many institutions, assisted other governments, and other needless assistance to a few, the government has not helped the millions who are the backbone of this country.

I had been working on my MBA, worked since I was 13 years old, and supported my family for over 25 years, now I am broke, with no working future in RURAL Oklahoma.  I have NOT received the full 99 weeks like others in other states due to the restriction of the 8.5 % level assistance, Oklahoma is sitting steady at 6.5 – 7.0 %.

Please help ALL STATES, because the unemployed is just that, UNEMPLOYED.  Do not discriminate.  I like others have completed over 300 job applications, and have interview over 100 times, with no success.  Before 2008, in my job career and advancement, I was 100 % on 5 job interviews.  I am not lazy, looking for handouts, but simply want to pay for food, shelter, and try in a simple family life.  Thanks.

From RF in TN:

To whom it might matter,

I was employed as a Program / Project Manager in the automotive industry by a glass company. I led several successful launches such as the Subaru Tribecca, Mazda 6, Hummer and managed many small engineering changes. I was laid off in May 2008. I found a contract job in July that lasted 4 months, then I taught as a substitute teacher (geometry) for four months at a private school. Since then a few interviews, many, many applications and submissions and now my unemployment has run out.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand how our Federal Government can send billions of dollars overseas, spend many more billions on bail outs for those who are arguably criminals, and still more billions on wars we should not be fighting. I guess I know where my 30 years+ of hard work, paying my own way through school, and serving in the Army for four years got me? Nowhere, with little to show and a deep abiding distrust of all elected officials.

The last election is probably the last one I’ll bother voting in as nothing seems to change.

Sincerely

From DB in NJ:

My name is DB and I worked for Builders FirstSource, formerly Blackstone Company for, 4 weeks shy of, 24 years. We were dislocated on December 15, 2008 when the company closed their New Jersey operations. It was a good job, with livable wages, good benefits and excellent people. I literally worked there for half of my lifetime. Would be there today if I had my way.

We were assisted with our unemployment claims at work. I went to the One Stop Career Center the following week and signed up for all available seminars and services which I attended. I started the process for job training. Went smoothly but takes a while.

I started the Computerized Accounting program at MCC on May 27, 2009 and graduated on November 25, 2009. I did very well as the director or my teachers will attest to. I have an exemplary work history and an updated skill set. I have applied for over 200 jobs with no offers. Good jobs I wanted and could do, no “fillers”. Thru school and my PSG group I have met a lot of good people in the same boat.

I want and need to work. All I need is an opportunity and I know I can make a success of it. There are simply too many people for too few jobs, simple as that. Blame whatever or whoever you want, that’s just a fact. I will return to the workforce at my first opportunity. Meanwhile we need the Unemployment Benefits extended. I have never been late much less missed a bill payment in my life. I am a responsible, play by the rules type of person who just needs assistance until he can find an opportunity. And I am busting my butt to get that opportunity too. Please also consider some type of jobs program too.

Warmest Regards

Please visit Rochester Unemployment Examiner to review unemployment information, data and details that you don’t find in the main stream media. You can also add comments about your current situation and what you think needs ot be done to improve the job market and unemployment benefits system. I hope to see you there.

*Due to issues such as software compatibility, the letters posted here may contain some minor formatting edits to improve readability.

Long Term Unemployed

Due to receiving more than 200 letters thus far from those who submitted letters to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support , I need to create multiple posts.

The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support is held a hearing on June 10 titled: Hearing on Responding to Long-Term Unemployment. I asked readers of Rochester Unemployment Examiner to send me letters they wrote to the Committee that they also wanted to have published here.* Below are some of those letters. I’ll be posting other letters as I receive permission.

There is still time to write; you can submit letters to House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support is holding a hearing until the close of business on June 24.

I want to thank all of you for including me in your letters to the Hearing. I will do my best to reply to each and everyone of you in a timely fashion.

From M.H. in KS:

Re: Hearing on Responding to Long-Term Unemployment

To ALL members of the U.S. Congress & the President of the United States of America

I am a 57 year old male who has worked for over 43 years.

I have always paid my Income Taxes, and paid into the Social Security System, as outlined by our government.

Like so many MILLIONS of other Americans, through no fault of my own, I was laid-off from my most recent employer of over 16 years, on October 6^th, 2008. I was the Quality Manager of a manufacturing company that went from a 24/7 operation to one 8 hour shift.

I am a divorced father with custody of my 14 year old daughter. (Due to what will be stated in this letter, I MAY be forced to give custody to my ex-spouse…that, I should NOT be forced to do…my daughter deserves better from HER country)

I am not someone who has looked to my government to “pay my way”, and have never approved of what many Americans referred to as the “American Welfare System”.

Again, like millions of other hard-working, dedicated Americans who lost their jobs through no fault of our own, I have found that companies do not want to hire a 57 year old, divorced, white male, who hasn’t worked for over 1 & ½ years. The daily frustrations that I have experienced cannot be put into words. One has to “live it” by being in this position and by reading comments from the “still-employed” Americans, who think that anyone who hasn’t found new employment after this length of time, must be lazy, unmotivated, worthless, looking for the old Welfare scams, and only wanting to be on full-time vacation. If they only knew how far from the truth this is for MOST, if not ALL of us. I have sent resumes, had interviews, made phone calls, have visited companies that aren’t advertising any current openings just to have an application on file “in case” something becomes available…I can’t even keep track anymore of the hundreds (thousands?) of these over the last year & ½.

I have received Extended Benefits through the “Unemployment” system, Tiers I, II, & III, but the State of Kansas did not have a Tier IV, as some other states put into place. I have exhausted all benefits made available to me, and am still unemployed as of this writing.

I was one of the “lucky” Americans, who after working many years, was able to live the so-called “American Dream”, of owning my own home, along with owning 2 vehicles.

Due to the state of the economy, and the decision by Congress to no longer “HELP” Americans such as myself, I was forced to file bankruptcy. I lost my “dream”..our 4-bedroom home..our new car..health insurance (as well as health, in general), dignity, respect, good credit rating, and many, many other things.

Not only did we have to move from our house (our HOME) to an apartment, I now can no longer afford to pay the rent, buy food, pay for gasoline for my “used” 2002 VW, or pay utilities (which includes phone & computer, and they are my last resorts for further seeking of employment). All of this because Congress has decided that I am not entitled to receive any further assistance from my country.

This is while I continue to read of the BILLIONS of dollars my country is giving to foreign countries to assist them through the “disasters” they have encountered… or “bailing out” the Banking & Auto industries with BILLIONS because “we can’t afford to let them fail”…

…What about us???… the Americans who have encountered this “disaster” in our lives…do you honestly feel it’s OK to let US “fail”, and that we don’t need the help of OUR OWN COUNTRY?

H.R.4213 does NOT address the “Long-Term” unemployed, those of us without further available “Tiers”. It only addresses giving the “shorter-term” unemployed an additional amount of time to file for an extension of their benefits. Even this hasn’t PASSED Congress – YET.

While you’re on vacation, or approving your own pay raises, some of us are on the brink of becoming completely homeless…What did WE do wrong??? … and “vacation”? What is that?  I can’t even imagine that “luxury” anymore.

Do we NO LONGER EXIST to the people we elected to Congress to help lead our country. If what I have read is correct, and I believe it is, those of us who have exhausted ALL benefits, are no longer “on the books”, so we aren’t included in the figures/Unemployment % reported to/by the Press. We should be included, not FORGOTTEN!!! What is the TRUE percentage if you INCLUDE us? We ARE unemployed…Why play with the numbers to make the economy look like it’s improving, when in fact, it is NOT for some/most  Americans…Tell the American public the TRUE NUMBERS…we DO exist, even if Congress wants to ignore us, or at a minimum, not want to deal with us.

As we all know, the oil damage in the Gulf of Mexico currently has the main focus of the Press, but please give the “damage” to the American people YOUR main focus…we deserve to NOT be forgotten.

There are internet blogs that I have read that are quite disturbing, and show the true desperation of some Americans. Some have said they are going to commit crimes just to have a “roof over their head” and to have their children become “Wards of the State” so that they will receive care & housing that the parent can no longer supply…Others have stated they are ready to commit suicide so that their children will receive life insurance and/or “survivor benefits” rather than see them forced to “live on the streets”…  How much of this do we need to see actually start happening before this desperation is realized?

PLEASE help us…we NEED your help…we DESERVE your help…we were NOT the cause of the current state of our economy, or the loss of OUR AMERICAN DREAM….

“Jobs Programs” will be a great benefit to the entire country, when & if they work, but that will take quite a lengthy time to re-employ all who have lost employment.

Of course employment several months (or longer) from now is better than “not at all”, but…PLEASE include a TIER V to the Extended Benefits program and add it NOW, and to ALL states…not after 3 months of additional debate, and to only a select group of states, using incomplete data of the TRUE Unemployment %…we can NOT survive that long without help from our country…

I could write for days on this subject, but I know it would most likely be placed to the side without review, so I will end here and state…

… I believe in MY country and hope that my country believes in those of us who needs “her” help….

“… OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE…”

Respectfully & Sincerely

From L.T. in SC:

RE:  Hearing on Responding to Long-Term Unemployment

Dear Senator McDermott,

I am writing this letter in response to ANOTHER 4 hour day at the Unemployment Office in South Carolina.  Suicide is becoming more and more attractive each day I survive.

I recently turned 53 and up until three years ago I felt my life fairly blessed.  I started working @ 12 as a babysitter and officially was on the Social Security books in 1973.

In November of 2006 my beloved Mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer & given 6 months to live.  In January of 2007 I lost my job as a Licensed Customhouse Broker, (my original license was issued in 1986 by the then U.S. Treasury Dept., now “Homeland Security), a career I had for over 20+ years.  In April 2007 my husband of 13 years abandoned me.  I’ve lost my home, car, even my pets.  I have NOTHING.  I have little to no family as I was unable to have children and my family is extremely small.  In fact I only really have a Aunt in Maine, (who is also suffering due to the economy) and a sister in Charleston with two children ALSO not able to help me.  If not for the blessing of a friend I would be on the streets!  Literally!  I’m sure you are not aware, (it’s another one of American’s dirty little secrets), but there is NO WHERE for a WOMAN to go, (shelter), unless they are physically abused or have children.  I do not fall under either of the two “qualifications”.  There ARE men shelters.  Can “someone” explain this to me?  Never mind, that’s another issue and not the purpose of this letter.

This being said my last date of “employment” was June 8^th, 2009.  I held a couple of jobs working for “call centers”, (I would describe these positions very close to being operated the same way as “sweatshops”), but other than that I can’t get a job ANYWHERE.  I have moved four times in the past year, (in South Carolina and Florida), living with friends.  No home.  No Job.  No Security.  No family.  No feeling of worth.

Unfortunately having had a somewhat unorthodox career I “pigeon-holed” myself where my skills are somewhat limited albeit I’m pretty sure I could flip a burger.  Did you know that when you apply on-line, (which 98% of places I have applied to require), that McDonald’s does not even offer an application or a place to “paste” a resume.  Instead you answer a 50+ “assessment” questionnaire.  I’ve done so many with so many companies but I think a question such as “Do you think smoking is harmful for your health?” is not only mundane but asinine as well.

So, here we are.  10 million, 20 million, 30 million?  Really, does anyone really know how many of AMERICANS are unemployed?  How many have just given up?  How many HAVE committed suicide?

My experience with the South Carolina Employment Commission, (or whatever they are calling themselves now since the discovery of how inept the offices are), has been overwhelming.  I went from February of this year until May without receiving a single dime.  I myself initiated my four month quest by going into the Charleston, SC office, (where I had lived for 20+ years), to ask WHY I had not been called in for an “eligibility” review.  Out of 16 weeks I was either in the Charleston or Greenville “One Stop” office 14 times!  By the way, The Greenville News, recently had a headline story that aside from the “Commission” being “run amok” the reporter also quoted that of the 1100 S.C. agency employees, 300 of them had returned to work after retirement.  These retirees returned to jobs that were NEVER posted for us regular folk.

In closing I am “grateful” my Mother did not live to see what has happened to my life.  I am “grateful” she will never have to know I had to pawn her jewelry in order to “survive”.  Most of all I am “grateful” she never had to see what America has become.  I grew up in Leesburg, VA..  I know what goes on “inside” the beltway.  I watch CSPAN and see NOTHING going on.

I am pleased to see you are on “our” side.  Of course you are only one Senator and of course you have never experienced, (nor will any of your children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren), experience what “normal” AMERICANS are losing or have lost.  This is NOT my America.  Greed and Politics have won.  No wonder the comparison’s to the fall of the Roman Empire.  We’re there!

WE NEEDA TIER V!

Thank you for your time and consideration in reading this letter.  I pray “someone” on your staff will point out MY letter and help me to regain a life and perhaps just a little bit of dignity.

Sincerely,

From N.M. in FL:

URGENT—-URGENT  — URGENT —-URGENT——-URGENT

WE NEED UNEMPLOYMENT AND COBRA 65% DISCOUNT TO BE EXTENDED UNTIL THE END OF 2010

THE HEALTH CARE BILL DOES NOT KICK IN FOR 4 YEARS,

IF PREXISTING CONITIONS WERE NOT BLOCKED FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS  AND PRICING WAS FAIR AND UNEMPLOYMENT WAS EXTENDED OUT UNTIL THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE  WAS DOWN, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET AFFORDABLE INSURANCE- BUT DUE TO THE WAY THE HEALTH CARE BILL IS- I CANNOT AND NEITHER CAN OTHERS.

WHAT GOOD IS THAT?

WE NEED EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT TO A LONG TIER V.AND 65% COBRA EXTENDED IMMEDIATELY.

IT IS URGENT THAT YOU EXTEND COBRA 65% BENEFITS OUT FOR THE UNEMPLOYED. IT IS ALSO URGENT THAT YOU IMMEDIALTLY EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR ALL AMERICANS WHO HAVE OR WILL BE ENDING TIER 4.

TIER 5 FOR ALL IS A MUST AND VERY QUICKLY FOR BOTH.

PLEASE READ MY STORY

I AM 63 YEARS OLD, MY 3 WEEKS OF EB EXPIRED JUNE 5, 2010

(I DID NOT GET THE 20 WEEKS IN FLORIDA, I ONLY GOT 3 WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE JUNE 5^TH END DATE AND TIER 3 CAME IN SO I NEVER STARTED MY 20 WEEKS OF EB UNTIL TIER 4 RAN OUT.)

AND  MY COBRA 65% DISCOUNT EXPIRED MAY 31^ST 2010, UNLESS IT IS EXTENDED TO SAVE US I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO…

WE TOOK OUR SOCIAL SECURITY EARLY ONLY SO WE COULD PAY OUR BILLS AND NOT DEPEND ON MEDICAID HOUSING ASSISTANCE ETC.WE THEREFORE LOST A LOT OF OUR FUTURE IN BENEFITS.

WE WERE PAYING $578.00 PER MONTH FOR THE TWO OF US.

I JUST RECEIVED MY CONVERSION PLAN FOR MYSELF AND IT IS $1288.00 PER MONTH FOR 1 PERSON. MY HUSBAND IS ALSO UNEMPLOYED BUT HE GOES ONTO MEDICARE JUNE 1, 2010 AND MUST BUY A SUPPLEMENT TOO.

I CAN’T EVER PAY THIS $1288.00

THE ONLY OTHER WAY OUT IS TO DIVORCE MY HUSBAND AND GET ON MEDICAID.HOW SAD, HE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

I AM AN INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETIC AND NO ONE ELSE WILL COVER ME. THE INSULIN IS OVER $200.00 A BOTTLE PER MONTH

I USE 2 BOTTLES OF 70/30 AND 1 BOTTLE OF REGULAR- SO THAT IS OVER $600.00 A MONTH PLUS MY OTHER MEDICATIONS SUCH AS ADVAIR @ OVER $200.00 A MONTH AND AVAPRO 300 AT ABOUT $100.00 A MONTH.

I HAVE PRICED THIS ALL WITH A DISCOUNT CARD AND IT COMES TO OVER $600.00 A MONTH. THERE ARE OTHER MEDS, BUT THEY ARE GENERIC BUT MY LIFE SAVING INSULIN, BLOOD PRESSURE AND ASTHMA DRUGS I CANNOT AFFORD.

IF UNEMPLOYMENT WERE EXTENDED OUT UNTIL WE CAN FIND WORK IN FLORIDA, A STATE WITH OVER 12% UNEMPLOYED WE AND OVER 1 MILLION OTHERS IN FLORIDA WOULD BE SAVED FROM DESTITUTION.

I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS PLIGHT, MILLIONS WILL BE BEGGING IN THE STREETS, STEALING AND DYING JUST FOR MEDS & FOOD &HOUSING.

OVER GOVERNMENT MUST HAVE A HEART AND A CONSCIENCE!!!

IF ANY OF YOU TRIED TO LIVE ON 275.00 A WEEK +$25 FOR EVEN A MONTH YOU WOULD KNOW HOW HORRIBLE IT FEELS. WHY NOT TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND TRY IT FOR A FEW MONTHS.

IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT ANYONE FROM THE PRESIDENT TO CONGRESS AND THE SENATE COULD ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN TO THE PROUD AMERICANS WHO GAVE YOU YOUR JOBS, BENEFITS, PENSIONS, HOUSES ETC.

WE ARE PROUD AMERICANS, BUT WE NEED HELP FROM THE PEOPLE WE VOTED TO PROTECT US!

THIS GREAT COUNTRY HAS BAILED OUT  EVERY OTHER COUNTRY, GIVEN MONEY TO  COUNTRIES IN NEED, BAILED OUT OUR BANKS, AUTOMAKERS AND BIG BUSINESS- YOU NEED TO HAVE A CONSCIENCE AND HELP THOSE OF US STILL UNEMPLOYED.

YES, IT APPEARS THAT THEM FIGURES OF THOSE COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT IS DOWN, BUT THE TRUE FIGURES ARE NOT THERE, BECAUSE IT IS DOWN BECAUSE THEY CAN NO LONGER COLLECT.

MY UNEMPLOYMENT ENDS IN 1 WEEK, WHEN I FILE FOR MY 1 WEEK, THEN I WILL BE APPLYING FOR FOOD STAMPS, MEDICAID, RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND ANYTHING ELSE I AM ELIGIBLE FOR- JUST TO SURVIVE. I AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS DID NOT PLAN FOR THS- EVERYONES SAVINGS ARE GONE,

OUR LANDLORD WAS NICE INTAKING PAYMENTS, BUT ONCE UNEMPLOYMENT IS GONE, THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS UNTIL I CAN FIND A JOB WHERE I DON’T HAVE TO LIFT 50 LBS AND STAND ON MY FEET ALL DAY( I AM IN NO MEDICAL CONDITION TO DO THAT WITH HEART, DIABETIES, ASTHMA AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE—AND NOW I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO DOCTORS OR GET MEDICATION.

IS EVERYONE IN WASHINGTON BLIND TO WHAT IS HAPPENING??

WHY  IS IT THAT THERE IS FUNDING THAT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE REPAID FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION IF YOU WANT TO GO FOR A COLLEGE DEGREE. BUT IF YOU ARE IN YOUR 60’S AND WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE CAREERS BY TAKING A COURSE FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE LISCENCE OR A REAL ESTATE LISCENCE, WHICH TAKES A MUCH SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME TO GET AND LESS MONEY  HAS TO BE PAID FOR THESE LISCENSES, WE MUST PAY FOR THEM OUT OF POCKET?

BECAUSE  THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT HELP US PAY FOR THIS AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY, THEREFORE ANOTHER AVENUE IS SHUT OFF FOR US.

IF THESE WERE INCLUDED IN THE GOVERNMENT STIMULUS WITH THE EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND 65% DISCOUNT OF COBRA, MANY OF US WOULD BE MAKING  MONEY NOW.

I WATCH THE NEWS AND EVERYDAY I SEE MORE ROBERIES, PEOPLE BEING SHOT AND KILLED FOR A FEW DOLLARS FOR FOOD ETC. IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT FOR OUR COUNTRY??  THE CRIME RATE IS UP AND IT WILL BE MUCH HIGHER AND DESPERATE PEOPLE DO DESPERATE THINGS.

WE DESPERATLY NEED THE 65% COBRA  EXTENDED NOW PAST 18 MONTHS- I END ON MAY 31,2010 AND THE HEALTHCARE BILL DOES NOTHING TO HELP ME UNTIL I AM ALMOST 68 YEARS OLD.I WILL NOT MAKE 68 IF THERE IS NO HELP

AND UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENDED UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR SO WE CAN GET BACK ON OUR FEET-( I STILL BELIEVE IN THIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT UNEMPLOYMENT I CAN’T PAY FOR COBRA.

HELP US!

PLEASE

RESPECTFULLY,

From V.M. in MI:

My situation is by no means unique: I am divorced; 55 years old; have been unemployed since November 2007; can’t afford health insurance and am too young for Medicare; am on food stamps; have used up most of my IRA (for which I’m penalized for early withdrawal),

More than anything, I want gainful employment. I’ve applied for a variety of jobs–from entry-level to professional–and no luck. I’m an attorney and have a master’s degree in business. I’m also an actor, artist, photographer, and writer, and I’ve been doing some freelance jobs, but they are few and far between. I cannot find one meaningful paid job in any of those categories. The paid positions out there are part-time or temporary, have no benefits, and pay very little. Clearly, employers are taking advantage of this situation.

I would be happy working as a file clerk, but rarely do I get an interview and when I do, the interviewers are often half my age and don’t give serious consideration to my qualifications. I never hear back from them. Age discrimination is rampant.

When I hear politicians and others say that people like me are lazy and will be more motivated to find work if there were no more unemployment benefits, I wish that I could afford to move away to a country, such as Canada or New Zealand, that values its citizens and offers health care to everyone.

Why do our politicians not bat an eye when bailing out Wall Street and GM, and keep funding a war that has no end, but abandon those who desperately need an extension of unemployment benefits? We’re not asking for handouts—we’ve paid into the unemployment insurance

I, and millions of others like me, need your help.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

From G.H. in CA:

Senator McDermott and Members of Congress:

I have been unemployed for almost two years. I’ve sent out more resumes than I can count, since losing my job as an executive assistant at a law firm in 2008. I’ve had only two or three callbacks, and only one interview. It is bleak. I am almost out of unemployment. Time is growing short for me. For many people, it’s already happened. They’re defaulting on the debts, losing their cars, their homes, their dignity.

I have solid resume, a broad and experienced skill set, a college degree, and have been working since I was 14 years old. In fact, I held two jobs while also attending high school. I worked full time while earning my college degree. I can work. I will work. I like to work, and see the benefits of my labor. I think that most people do.

The government and industry is failing us. We need the lifeline of unemployment continued until the unemployment rate comes down, significantly. Everybody knows it. There are no jobs.

From M.C. in CT:

I and my wife have been unemployed, out of no fault of my own and have exhausted all our unemployment benefits as of last month or before.  I have lost so much in the last two years and now if you do not add ADDITIONAL WEEKS beyond continuing the programs I AND MY FAMILY WILL BE HOMELESS AND WITH OUT TRANSPORTATION AND CELLPHONES! There are no jobs out there no matter what News stories try to portray!

Look in any major local paper at the job classifieds (nationwide)-1/2 page or 1 page is the norm instead of 10-15 pages in the past! Hundreds attend the few openings!

So please support the American people like you have the Banks/Wall St. and so many big $$ bailouts and wars. As we all know things will get better, but jobs are nowhere to be found now! All you have to do is look at the market diving in the USA and worldwide when the latest JOBS NEWS CAME OUT THIS WEEK!

How can you ignore the AMERICAN PEOPLE who elected you?

It will take support from Congress for the remainder of 2010 and early next year!

Don’t let any Democrat or Republican state that you shouldn’t help because of the deficit or because unemployed people are lazy and milking the system.  I would love to see any of them try to live like so many Americans on unemployment or no funds coming in!

We the good people of America WANT TO WORK!  But we need the help of additional weeks now!

Help us out and expand tier 4 or add a tier 5 to do a long term extension.

THIS IS EMERGENCY SPENDING DIRECTED AT THE UNEMPLOYED ON MAIN ST!

Without additional unemployment benefit weeks added, every day/week/month the # will grow,its already huge but by Election time!~ LOOK OUT!  MILLIONS WITH NO SUPPORT AND HOMELESS.

We have used up all of our 401k,savings-lost our credit cards and credit and can barely feed ourselves.

I have had to go to food pantries and my kids are not eating well and you can see it in their physical look!

PLEASE HELP US I BEG YOU TO BE DECENT AND ACT IMMEDIATELY TO ADD A TIER 5 OR ADD TO TIER 4!

Thank you M, S/J /C and Emily

OUR FAMILY IN NEED!

Unemployment: It’s worse than you think:

Jack Ohman

US/Canada:

• Lost contracts threaten 2,000 S.C. (BCBS) jobs
• Boeing says defense cuts will mean loss of 1,000 jobs
• US Airways job cuts (600) to affect Wichita Mid-Continent Airport
• Lockheed to Cut 600 Jobs
• Andersen cuts more than 500 jobs
• NASA to cut 400 jobs, contractor says
• First wave of shuttle layoffs (250) due at KSC in October
• More Cisco Job Cuts Coming?
• Schwarzenegger orders 2,000 more state jobs cut
• U of Calgary) expected to cut at least 200 staff

International:

• Jaguar Land Rover to cut 300 jobs, slows production
• 12,000 post staff plan to walk out

Navigation links to today’s stories:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors/News
General Economic News
Government Layoff News
US and some Canada Layoff News
International Layoff News
Hiring News and News You Can Use

- Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News -

- Cisco Systems (NSDQ:CSCO) reportedly is preparing to ax more positions this week as the company continues the job cuts and restructuring it first highlighted in its second-quarter earnings call in February.

Sources have told Channelweb.com that Cisco would most likely start slashing more jobs this week. It was unclear exactly how many positions could be eliminated.

via More Cisco Job Cuts Coming? – Networking – IT Channel News by CRN.

- General Economic News -

MBA Purchase Applications
7:00 AM ET

NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) – U.S. mortgage applications rose for a second straight week, driven by a jump in demand for home refinancing loans as interest rates tumbled, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

However, demand for home purchase loans, an early indicator of home sales, fell to its lowest level since late-May. The drop does not bode well for the hard-hit U.S. housing market, which is plagued by a huge supply and demand imbalance amid mounting foreclosures.

The MBA’s seasonally adjusted purchase index fell 9.4 percent to 258.8, the lowest reading since the week ended May 22.

via US mortgage applications rise as interest rates tumble | Reuters .

Consumer Price Index
8:30 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A key index of consumer prices rose more than expected in June but showed the largest year-over-year decline since January 1950, the government said Wednesday.

via Consumer price index up 0.7% in June, down 1.4% over year – Jul. 15, 2009 .

Empire State Mfg Survey
8:30 AM ET

July 15 (Bloomberg) — Manufacturing in the New York region shrank this month at the slowest pace in more than a year, bolstered by the largest gain in orders since the recession began.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s July general economic index climbed to minus 0.6, the highest level since April 2008, from minus 9.4 the prior month, the bank said today. Readings below zero for the Empire State index signal

via Manufacturing in New York Area Shrank at Slower Pace (Update2) – Bloomberg.com.

Industrial Production
9:15 AM E

Mike: Another positive spin on a lousy report. Here you have a 0.4 dip in industrial production from a revised number that was worse than reported last month.

The Federal Reserve reported Wednesday that production at America’s factories, mines and utilities fell 0.4 percent last month as the recession crimped demand for a wide range of manufactured goods, including cars, machinery and household appliances.

The decline, however, was not as bad as May. Industrial activity posted a revised 1.2 percent drop then, which turned out to be slightly worse than first reported.

via Industrial activity logs smaller-than-expected dip – Yahoo! Finance.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scott Stantis

- Government Layoff News -

-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered department heads to eliminate 2,000 jobs on top of the 5,000 positions he wants to cut as part of his budget solution, his officials said Tuesday.

Although Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders remain far apart in how to close the state’s $26.3 billion shortfall, the governor’s latest job-slashing order is aimed at helping prepare for inevitable cuts in state services, said Lynelle Jolley, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Personnel Administration.

via Schwarzenegger orders 2,000 more state jobs cut.

- California: The haves and have-nots

via Felix Salmon » Blog Archive » California: The haves and have-nots | Blogs | .

- Instead of making a planned budget presentation to the DuPage County Board Tuesday, Regional Office of Education Superintendent Darlene Ruscitti was in Springfield lobbying for missing state grant funds that forced her to cut 14 jobs.

via Daily Herald | State withholds grants, DuPage education czar cuts 14 jobs.

- Bryan city officials are eliminating 10 positions to help recover a $1.3 million shortfall in the general fund budget.

City Manager David Watkins said two of the positions are vacant and will not be filled, while eight people are being laid off. The savings, which includes salaries and benefits, amount to $500,000 to $600,000.

via 10 jobs to be cut, 3% raises OK’d | Bryan/College Station, Texas – The Eagle.

-  Even before Miami-Dade begins filling a gaping hole in its fiscal 2010 budget, the county’s Park and Recreation Department has laid off 23 full-time employees just to make ends meet this year.

via Miami-Dade parks lays off 23, signal of tough budget choices ahead .

- HAMMONTON — The town followed through with plans to lay off four municipal workers, a move expected to save the town up to $180,000.

via thehammontonnews.com | The Hammonton News | Hammonton news, community, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Hammonton, NJ.

- The city of Twinsburg is looking to cut 25 firefighters, Twinsburg Mayor Katherine Procop says.

via Twinsburg Looks to Cut 25 Firefighters – WJW.

- US and some Canada Layoff News -

- More than 2,000 South Carolina jobs are in jeopardy after a BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina subsidiary lost out on the bids to help run the military’s health insurance program.

Administering government health care programs is a key business strategy for BlueCross and it has been involved with the military’s plan for years.

via Lost contracts threaten 2,000 S.C. jobs – Local / Metro – The State.

- The head of Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), Jim Albaugh, told workers in an internal message Monday the division will eliminate about 1,000 jobs because of Pentagon budget cuts.

via Boeing news | Boeing says defense cuts will mean loss of 1,000 jobs | Seattle Times Newspaper. .

- MINNEAPOLIS – US Airways said on Tuesday it will cut 600 ground jobs this fall because of the slow economy.

The airline said it will close its Las Vegas US Airways Club and cut jobs at its club in Phoenix, and also shut the walk-up ticket counter at its headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., its last counter outside an airport.

via US Airways job cuts to affect Wichita Mid-Continent Airport | Top Stories | Wichita Eagle.

- July 14 (Bloomberg) — Lockheed Martin Corp., the world’s largest defense company, will cut 600 more jobs in New York following the cancellation last month of its contract to develop and build the next U.S. presidential helicopter.

via Lockheed to Cut 600 Jobs on Presidential Helicopter (Update2) – Bloomberg.com.

- In another sign that the housing market has yet to hit bottom, window manufacturer Andersen Corp. said Tuesday it will permanently eliminate 250 management and staff positions, more than half of them at its Bayport, Minn., headquarters.

via Andersen cuts more than 500 jobs.

- Four hundred space shuttle employees will be laid off beginning in October, a spokesman for a National Aeronautics and Space Administration contractor told CNN on Tuesday

Jeff Carr, spokesman for United Space Alliance, NASA’s primary contractor for the space shuttle, said he thinks most of the layoffs will come from volunteers, and 60 percent are to come from Florida crews.

He said notice of the layoffs has been sent to the entire corps of Space Shuttle employees.

via NASA to cut 400 jobs, contractor says – CNN.com.

-The company that services NASA’s space shuttles announced plans Tuesday to shed nearly 250 jobs in Florida later this year — its first major layoff in a looming disaster for an economy tied to Kennedy Space Center.

United Space Alliance, the prime contractor for U.S. space-shuttle operations, will also cut its work force in the Houston area by about 150 people.

via First wave of shuttle layoffs due at KSC in October – OrlandoSentinel.com.

- DALHART — By late September a hundred forty-five people in Dalhart will be without a job.

Premium Standard Farms is making cutbacks.

via Dalhart Job Cuts.

- MUSCLE SHOALS – Norfolk Southern has reduced the amount of job cuts at the Sheffield rail yard to 65, officials said Tuesday.

Company officials initially planned to cut 84 jobs at Sheffield, said Robin Chapman, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern in Atlanta.

via Railroad reduces job cuts to 65 | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL.

- Independent Health Association said Tuesday that it is laying off 50 employees, outsourcing some technology and telecommunications jobs, and selling the majority of its third-party administration business to a local industry veteran.

via Independent Health cuts 50 jobs : Business : The Buffalo News.

- ESAB Welding of Florence is set to cut back jobs by the end of this year

via ESAB Welding to cut jobs in 2009 : News : WPDE .

- YOUNGSTOWN – Forum Health will eliminate about 50 jobs at Northside Medical Center when it moves the hospital’s adult Behavioral Health services to Trumbull Memorial Hospital over the next month, officials announced Tuesday.

via Northside to cut 50 jobs, move behavioral health – TribToday.com – News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information – Tribune Chronicle – Warren, OH.

-Nokia Canada has cut 20 more jobs in British Columbia as Nokia’s parent, Finnish-based Nokia Oyj, aims to cut costs by centralizing its gaming development, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

via Nokia cuts 20 B.C. jobs .

- CALGARY – The University of Calgary has become the latest public sector employer to consider layoffs amid lean economic times, with the school’s president warning faculty and staff Tuesday that as many as 200 jobs will be cut by the fall.

via U of C expected to cut at least 200 staff .

- International Layoff News -

- LONDON (Reuters) – British luxury car-maker Jaguar Land Rover will cut 300 jobs from its Halewood plant in the north of England and stop production of its X-Type car due to the downturn in the auto industry.

via Jaguar Land Rover to cut 300 jobs, slows production | Reuters .

- Thousands of postal workers are to strike on Friday in a worsening dispute with Royal Mail over jobs, pay and services.

via 12,000 post staff plan to walk out | Metro.co.uk .

- We plan to enter a mass program of lay offs, which might result in sacking 600 persons in our headquarters. We shall conduct consultation talks and we hope to reach an agreement with the trade unions. Following that approval we shall begin structural changes, which should be concluded this year,” said Andrzej Klesyk, president of PZU.

via Warsaw Business Journal – Online Portal – wbj.pl.

- Slovenj Gradec, 15 July (STA) – The Prevent car seat covers manufacturer group is set to let go nearly 170 people in Slovenia in the coming weeks. 119 workers at Prevent will get pink slips in the coming days, while an additional 50 working in parent company Prevent Global are to follow in August, Monika Zvikart of Prevent Global told STA on Wednesday.

via STA: Prevent Letting Go Nearly 170 Workers.

- EIGHT jobs will be axed in Barton after supermarket bosses announced the closure of the Co-op store in Barton.

via Co-op store to close in Barton-Upon-Humber.

- Hiring News and News You Can Use-

- SEGUIN — Commissioners learned Tuesday that the Caterpillar plant now under construction will bring with it more than a dozen primary suppliers that will need facilities within two miles of the plant — and will create in all 4,000 local jobs, a nearly three-fold increase over Caterpillar’s workers alone.

via The Gazette-Enterprise.

- A Wilmington air cargo charter company that serves DHL Worldwide Express plans to move its 150-person operation to Florence pending the approval of payroll tax credits from Florence City Council.

via ASTAR bringing 150 jobs to Florence | Cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com.

Mike: A busy day for layoff announcements and news. Tomorrow brings us the Jobless Claims report, which is expected to show some improvement from last week’s 565,000 claims. I’ll put my guess on 555,000, but I think the revised number will increase to 575,000. Till then……………………….

Tom Toles

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Mike: My job has been a little easier so far this week with the reduced number of layoff announcements, which may be an indication that there’s a slowdown in layoff activity, at least in the short-term.

These’s plenty of retail economic news out there today and it’s a very mixed bag. I’ll let the people in the know give you their impressions. I’ll stay away from the main stream media outlets, since they merely skew everything to a point where I can’t trust most of their analyses:

Retail Sales Continue to be Weak

via Retail Sales Continue to be Weak – RetailSails — Seeking Alpha.

From Bloomberg:

July 14 (Bloomberg) — Sales at U.S. retailers rose in June, helped by incentives at car dealers and higher gasoline prices that boosted service-station receipts.

Good, right?

Not so fast:

Purchases excluding automobiles and gasoline dropped for a fourth consecutive month

via More Media Misdirection: Retail Sales – The Market Ticker.

Walt Handelsman

Mike: I had to dump this news at the top since it made my blood boil when reading it. Here you have a company so connected to Washington, (Geithner, Paulson, Rubin, etc.) that it cannot fail, but it cannot be stopped from screwing the American taxpayer. They grab $10 billion in TARP funds, get preferential treatment with regard to AIG and then have the gall to pay out up to $900,000 in bonuses PER person. If this doesn’t make you angry enough to contact your congressional rep, than nothing will and these taxpayer beatings will continue to happen at your expense. These companies have no ethics, morals, humanity, decency or empathy. They exist for greed and greed alone. You, the taxpayer, are their peon and will remain a peon until you demand to be treated as an equal. Here’s where you and I can vent that anger: Contact your congressional representative

The investment bank Goldman Sachs delivered a clear signal that the good times are returning on Wall Street by milking a recovery in financial markets to generate profits of $3.44bn (£2.12bn), raising the prospect of average pay packages of as much as $900,000 for its employees.

Goldman’s success has generated its fair share of detractors. Critics point out that the bank was the biggest counterparty in financial insurance policies to the insurer AIG and that its collateral calls contributed to the US company’s collapse, requiring AIG to seek $150bn of government aid.

Furthermore, Goldman itself received $10bn from the US government’s troubled asset relief fund, which it paid back last month to avoid any further caps on dividends or remuneration. The firm converted to a ‘bank holding company’ last year, allowing it to take retail deposits, as the business model of a standalone Wall Street bank came under threat.

via Goldman Sachs staff set for bumper bonuses as bank earns $38m per day | Business | guardian.co.uk .

“I believe Tim Geithner only represents part of Wall Street – Goldman Sachs,” he says, suggesting Goldman was the “primary beneficiary of the AIG bailout” and notes Goldman alum Stephen Friedman serves on the board of the NY Fed. (Hank Paulson and Robert Rubin, with whom Geithner had frequent meetings in the past year, are also Goldman alum.)

via Tim Geithner Too Close to Goldman Sachs to Be Treasury Secretary Critic Says: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance.

-Max Keiser: “Does the US Secretary of the Treasury work for the people or does he work for the banking system on Wall Street?”

Dr. Paul Craig Reports: “He works for Goldman Sachs.”

via Tim Geithner, Employee of Goldman Sachs? | The Big Picture.

US/Canada:

• Johnson Controls to close Dixon plant
• Another 2,000 (CA) general fund jobs could be axed
• 300 Prince George call centre workers face layoffs
• Daley says 431 city workers to lose jobs if no deal by midnight
• Goldman Sachs staff set for bumper bonuses

International:

• Latvia to cut govt staff drastically (by 1145)
• Brazil beef group JBS cuts more than 700 jobs

Navigation links to today’s stories:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors/News
General Economic News
Government Layoff News
US and some Canada Layoff News
International Layoff News
Hiring News and News You Can Use

- Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News -

Mike: Remember the headlines from a couple months ago about the dangers of H1N1? Well, it’s still out there and still causing problems.

- HYDERABAD: Google India has had to shut down one of its offices in Hyderabad after one of the employees was confirmed to be suffering from the H1N1 flu virus.

Of the 250 employees in this particular office of Google, 95 were sent to the AP General and Chest Hospital on Tuesday to undergo the swine flu test. Of these, seven employees showed swine flu symptoms and were quarantined even as Google office shut its office for two days for its premises to be sanitised.

via Swine flu scare shuts Google office in Hyderabad – Hyderabad – City – NEWS – The Times of India.

This map and the data behind it were compiled by Dr. Henry Niman, a biomedical researcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, using technology provided by Rhiza Labs and Google. The map is compiled using data from official sources, news reports and user-contributions and updated multiple times per day.

via FluTracker – H1N1 Swine Flu and Influenza Outbreak Tracking from Rhiza Labs.

- General Economic News -

- ICSC-Goldman Store Sales

7:45 AM ET

After reporting last week that retail same-store decreased by 5.1% in June YoY, The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) said that comparable same-store sales for large chain stores fell by 0.7% in the first week of July vs a year ago, while same-store sales decreased 0.9% on a week-over week-basis, the first weekly drop in a month.

via Retail Sales Continue to be Weak – RetailSails — Seeking Alpha.

Producer Price Index
8:30 AM ET

Separately, the Labor Department reported a 1.8 percent increase in the Producer Price Index, a measure of prices paid by retailers to factories and farmers, more than double economists’ forecasts. The index rose 0.2 percent in May.

The jump in the price index is likely to bring back debate of which direction inflation is headed. Weak unemployment and wage data have largely constrained retailers’ pricing power, but surges in energy prices beyond the control of retailers have proved significant.

via Producer Prices Jump, Led by Energy – NYTimes.com.

Retail Sales
8:30 AM ET

However, outside of autos and gas stations the sales results were disappointingly weak, suggesting consumers remained wary of stepping up discretionary spending despite signs the recession may be drawing to a close.

via Autos lift retail sales as inflation perks up | U.S. | Reuters .

Redbook
8:55 AM ET

U.S. national chain store sales fell 1.7% in the first week of July versus the previous month, according to Redbook Research’s latest indicator of national retail sales released Tuesday.

via WMT = Redbook: US Retail Sales -1.7% First Week July Vs June.

Business Inventories
10:00 AM E

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. business inventories fell 1 percent in May, marking a ninth consecutive monthly decline, pressured by a steep drop in stocks of autos and parts, Commerce Department data showed on Tuesday.

via U.S. business inventories fell 1 percent in May | Markets | Hot Stocks | Reuters .

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It’s time for a serious second stimulus — not a hodge podge of pork and transfer payments, but a truly big and bold infrastructure program (like what we were promised the first time, but which didn’t happen) to put people to work.

via 10 Reasons Employment Is Worse Than You Think: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance.

Nick Anderson

- Government Layoff News -

- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is prepared to cut another 2,000 jobs from the general fund, state officials told state employee union and exempt employee association leaders in a conference call this morning. The cuts could be part of a deal that must close the state’s $26.3 billion fiscal gap, which widens by $25 million each day lawmakers fail to enact a budget.

via The State Worker: Another 2,000 general fund jobs could be axed, administration says.

Mike: I’m not sure what will be more deadly, the extra guns on the street or fewer police officers, but needless to say, if both occur at once it won’t be a pretty picture  ………….

- SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA – The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors could approve the layoffs of 202 sheriff’s deputies Tuesday. The fear of less deputies may be behind a gun sales surge.

According to the state attorney general’s office, gun sales are up 40 percent in Sacramento County since November. It is the biggest growth of any county in the state.

via Looming Deputy Layoffs May Be Behind Gun Sales Surge | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Local News .

- CALGARY – Thirty City of Calgary employees in development and building approvals received layoff notices Monday, a result of declining permit revenues and a sign of the city’s struggle to balance its books in a tightening economy.

via City of Calgary cuts 30 jobs amid budget balancing .

- Hamilton County will likely reveal at the emergency meeting how much departments will have to cut their budgets in order to balance the 2009 budget.

Layoffs are likely, as the county grapples with yet another month of plummeting sales tax revenue.

via More county layoffs ‘inevitable’ | Cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com.

- Cadillac Area Public Schools made $680,000 dollars in cuts. Monday night, the school board voted to layoff eight teachers and nine paraprofessionals.

via 9&10 News: Seventeen Layoffs for Cadillac Area Public Schools.

- LAKEMOOR – Five village employees have been laid off as Lakemoor officials try to combat a mounting deficit.

via Northwest Herald | Five village employees laid off in Lakemoor.

- In a packed board meeting, the Moreno Valley Board of Education announced that the district’s approximately 1,850 teachers had agreed to each take two furlough days to save jobs threatened by layoffs.

via Moreno Valley teachers agree to furlough days | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California.

- Mayor Richard Daley today said 431 city employees would be laid off Wednesday if two holdout unions don’t agree to unpaid days off and other cost-cutting measures.

via Daley says 431 city workers to lose jobs if no deal by midnight | Clout Street – local political coverage.

- The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs is laying off 24 employees, but the agency says all divisions will remain open.

via S.C. Consumer Affairs laying off 24 employees | SCNow.

- FALL RIVER — Police have voted to accept an 8 percent pay cut, saving the city about $530,000 this fiscal year, city and police officials announced Monday.

As part of the three-year agreement approved by the 145-member Fall River Police Association at a union meeting last week, salaries will return to their current levels for the following two fiscal years, reports the Standard-Times.

via Fall River police agree to pay cut – BostonHerald.com.

- US and some Canada Layoff News -

-Oscient has cut 280 of its 305 jobs this year as part of an effort to preserve cash and reduce debt. In February, it eliminated 100 jobs, and in June, it cut its 150-person sales force and 30 other positions.

via The Associated Press: Oscient files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

- Finding out the Dixon plant will close this fall. A decision that will wipe out 211 jobs when the economy is down and out. Workers expect that the plant will close for good in early October. They’ll receive a severance package and retraining opportunities.

via Johnson Controls to close Dixon plant – WQAD.

- Now it seems the rest of the workers will also be out of a job. There are about 143 employees on staff right now.

via Auto supplier closing in Battle Creek | style, margin, bottom – Top Stories – WWMT NEWSCHANNEL 3.

- MUSCLE SHOALS – Norfolk Southern Corp. will close part of the operations at its Sheffield rail yard, a move that involves cutting 84 jobs.

via Railroad cutting 84 jobs | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL.

- That’s about 25 of the 550 people who work at the headquarters, 8155 T&B Boulevard, just north of Southwind off Hacks Cross.

via Thomas & Betts cuts Memphis jobs : Business News : Memphis Commercial Appeal.

- Massachusetts-based Stride Rite Corp. has notified the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that the company will close its distribution center in Huntington, leaving 120 employees jobless.

IBJ.com – Indianapolis Business Journal – #ArHeadline#.

- St. Joseph Health System, an Orange-based Catholic hospital operator with three local facilities, said Monday it is cutting 159 local jobs.

via Orange County Business Journal Online.

- GE Capital Corp. has laid off 127 employees at a Bedford, Texas, operation in the past three months, and the company said staff reductions may continue through mid-September.

via GE Capital lays off 127 in Bedford, Texas; more cuts planned – The Connecticut Post Online.

- Robin Wasson says the loss of a single job, much less 29, is substantial in a town as small as Chipman.

via dailygleaner.com – 29 laid off at mill in Chipman | By KYLE MULLIN – Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada.

- Volunteer and Information Kingston, a non-profit agency that acts as a clearing house for information about community programs and volunteer opportunities in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, has laid off three paid staff and is returning to its roots as a volunteer-run organization.

via Volunteer centre lays off three of four paid staff – Napanee Guide – Ontario, CA .

- ASHEVILLE — UNC Asheville is cutting eight current staff jobs and closing two scientific research centers in response to an expected 10 percent reduction in state funding, university officials announced Monday

via UNCA cuts jobs, research centers | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times.

- SALISBURY — Some 30 positions at the Delmarva Media Group — publisher of The Daily Times and its weekly affiliates, including the Ocean Pines Independent — have been eliminated, officials announced Thursday.

via Delmarva Media Group eliminates 30 positions | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times.

- Colonial BancGroup announced last week it was cutting 136 jobs across its five-state region.

via Daily Commercial.

- About 300 workers at a Prince George, B.C., call centre will be working their last shift on Tuesday after a Dallas-based company decided to close its largest Canadian operation.

via 300 Prince George call centre workers face layoffs.

- LAS VEGAS, Nevada — International Game Technology said it’s laying off another 55 workers at its Reno headquarters this week as it continues to adjust during the recession. Meanwhile, its main competitor says it’s looking to grow.

via IGT lays off workers as Bally expands.

- International Layoff News -

- The center-right government announced it would slash the number of employees in its central administrative staff by 1,145 people, or 30 percent, by the start of 2010. In addition, the number of state agencies will be reduced from 73 to 36.

via Latvia to cut govt staff drastically – Forbes.com.’

- MORE than 70 workers at a Stockport sportswear firm, which sponsors a number of UK rugby teams, have been made redundant after it fell into administration.

via Deals/Restructuring  /  72 jobs go at Stockport sportswear firm THEBUSINESSDESK.COM.

- We have acted quickly in order to minimise the number of posts at risk and as a result we expect the outcome to result in a small reduction in staff numbers.”

via TBWA Manchester confirms redundancy talks – North West Media News – How-Do.

- Brazil’s JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), the world’s largest beef processor, said on Tuesday it had laid off 742 workers from three plants located in Sao Paulo state.

via Brazil beef group JBS cuts more than 700 jobs | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters .

- Arts Council England has announced the details of its latest restructure, which aims to save £6.5 million a year in administration costs.

via The Stage / News / ACE to cut 130 jobs in latest restructure.

- Around 60 jobs are on the line in border control at MAF Biosecurity and Palmerston North’s office might close in the restructure.

via Farmers are irate over staff cuts | Stuff.co.nz.

- Hiring News and News You Can Use-

- If you haven’t already heard, Twitter is a great resource for making the job search a bit easier. Jobs are actually delivered to you, thus reducing a lot of the legwork on your part. TweetMyJobs.com is just another applicatio built on top of the Twitter application.

via Tweet your way to a job with tweetmyjobs.com.

- U.S. Bank announced this spring it would add 300 jobs to its operations in Owensboro. Now, the new facility off the U.S. 60 Bypass and Highway 54 is starting to take shape.

via New home mortgage facility will bring 300 jobs to Owensboro – 14 News, The Tri-State’s News and Weather Leader-.

- Hundreds of Indiana auto parts workers are back to work at the Mid-Range Engine Plant in Walesboro.

via NEWS/TALK 1010 WCSI Radio – WCSI Weather – Columbus Indiana.

- According to Revolution , the company wanted a senior manager based in Minnesota with at least two years of mobile or social media marketing experience, a year’s of active blogging experience, a Bachelor’s degree, and… 250 Twitter followers.

via TG Daily – Best Buy: Have 250 Twitter followers or no job.

Tom Toles

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