Many of the jobless get no unemployment benefits

[babylonsister]

Many of the jobless get no unemployment benefits

By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY


When Clarence Athy lost his job laying concrete just before Thanksgiving, the 56-year-old single father did what most people do: He applied to collect unemployment benefits.

But like many Americans, Athy was denied.

Athy, of Kalispell, Mont., was told by state workers that he was not at his job long enough to collect benefits. He has applied for jobs all over town — where the unemployment rate is in the double digits — without any luck. Now, he's trying to do what he can to feed himself and his son, Calvin, 15, and keep a roof over their heads. He is behind on his rent, has turned off his telephone and next week may lose his electricity.

"I ought to get something," Athy says of unemployment benefits. "It's not like I'm not trying to get work. … I'm just trying to make a living."

Millions of unemployed Americans who have lost their jobs are in Athy's shoes. While 13.2 million people were unemployed in March, approximately 5.8 million were collecting unemployment benefits at the end of the month, double the number from a year ago, the government said Thursday. That means less than half of those who were out of work and were actively trying to find a new job were receiving unemployment benefits.

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2009-04-09-unemployed-but-no-benefits_N.htm

[FarLeftRage]

1. Very sad....

I just read that on Buzzflash.

I have been through that situation before, where I was employed and then laid off.
It only angered me to find out later that I was not qualified for benefits.

[rurallib]

2. The unemployment number put out by the government is so bogus

I have heard the real unemployment number is @15%. If you add in underemployed it is @20%.
If we counted unemployment the way they did during the great depression, we would get similar numbers.
ETA - wasn't the current counting method a Reagan legacy from his super recession? I wish Obama would use real numbers for this as he is doing for the budget.

[Gman2]

3. Not to mention the crooked ass

system of not penalizing an employer for spuriously trying to deny benefits. I am one of the 25 %. I STOMPED on the fucks in court. After three months. Then, I get to wait for three weeks to have my interview. This, after recieving a few checks. Nail those crooked fucks. And now, I get to try to get a job, after destroying my previous employer as a crooked fuck. Think I am going to get a fair reference?