December 27, 2013

UFCW Calls for One-Year Extension of Unemployment Insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released the following statement calling for a one-year extension of unemployment insurance benefits, which are set to expire for 1.3 million Americans tomorrow.

“It is unconscionable that Congress went on holiday break without extending assistance for those out of work through no fault of their own. A few positive employment reports do not change the fact that millions of Americans are still without a job and struggling to make ends meet. 1.3 million Americans will lose their benefits tomorrow and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates nearly 5 million Americans will have their assistance reduced if no extension is passed. Add this to the proposed cuts to food stamps and families in need are being pushed to the brink. We call on Congress to immediately pass a one-year extension of unemployment insurance. It is the least we can do to help jobless Americans get back on their feet.”

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.