CONCORD, N.H. -- It looks like millions of Americans will enter the new year without jobless benefits they've been receiving during the pandemic, including more than 19,000 people in New Hampshire, according to a new Century Foundation report.

On December 26, two crucial unemployment programs from the CARES Act expire: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for people who aren't eligible for state unemployment benefits, such as gig workers and contractors; and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which extended exhausted state benefits.

Report author Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at the Century Foundation, described it as "the last economic safety net" from the CARES Act, and said it will mean tough choices for many.

"Do I sell my car? Do I move out of my house? Do I cut out a meal? Do I postpone that medicine that I need? These are things that not only have an immediate effect, they have a lasting effect," Stettner said.

Other CARES Act benefits - the one-time, $1,200 stimulus payments and an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits - already ended. Stettner said with the pandemic and health and safety precautions states are taking, finding work this winter will be a challenge for many.

With vaccines and other treatments for COVID-19 in the works, Stettner sees these unemployment programs as a way to "hunker down" economically until the nation emerges next year in better times.

"We've never cut off this many workers at once before," he said. "You know, we've had other logjams in the past where these programs have lapsed in previous recessions, but we've never been this many people."

Stettner, along with other advocates and lawmakers, hopes Congress will recognize the immediate and urgent need to pass more jobless benefits, even if they can't yet agree on all the contents of a potential pandemic-relief package. New Hampshire's representatives in Congress have all been pushing for relief for constituents.


get more stories like this via email

AT&T customers may experience service disruptions as the worker's union, Communications Workers of America, initiates a strike to try to continue their negotiations with AT&T through what they claim is "bad faith" bargaining. The CWA, representing employees in the Southeast, has voiced concerns over AT&T's approach to new contract negotiations, citing issues related to health-care costs and decision-making at the bargaining table.

Michael Devane, president of CWA Local 3104 in Fort Lauderdale, expressed frustration with the company's representatives.

"Just basically kicking the can down the road. You know, just humoring people just going through the motions. Not really bargaining seriously. So District 3 filed an unfair labor practice charge against them, and that's why we are out on strike right now for that," he said.

"We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement with CWA District 3, and we have offered to bring in a federal mediator to ensure there is no question about either side's commitment to this process," AT&T said in a statement.

The company also assured customers that "business continuity measures are in place so that we can continue to provide our customers with the great service they deserve."

CWA members across the country will hold up signs at work on Thursday to show their solidarity.

One of several sticking points in the negotiations is the health-care plan. According to the CWA, AT&T is pushing for cost structures based on the company's national average, which does not reflect the lower health-care costs in the Southeast. Devane hopes for a good-faith effort by the company to negotiate.

"Well, I'd like to get this thing moving along there. There has to be some adults in the room and please get back to the table and let's get this thing done. We all have families. We take care of and company as customers. They got to take care of, and we'd like to get back to normal," he said.

As the union and company remain at an impasse, AT&T has proposed entering federal mediation. Customers in the region may experience service delays, as AT&T is currently operating with a reduced workforce during the ongoing strike.


get more stories like this via email

The next time you drive over a newly built highway in Minnesota, the concrete may have been poured by a Native American trained through a pre-apprenticeship program.

The effort is designed to create more career pathways for younger Indigenous adults.

Moke Eaglefeathers, apprenticeship coordinator for Cement Masons Plasterers and Shophands Local 633, has helped lead the 10-week training camp in New Brighton for the past several years. This year's session recently wrapped up. Before each summer begins, he travels to Native American reservations around the state to recruit participants. Those who sign up get a rigorous education on what it is like to do the work.

"We're teaching a skill that a robot will never be able to learn," Eaglefeathers pointed out.

He explained the training program's no-nonsense vibes illustrate how demanding cement mason work is, especially in the many types of weather Minnesota throws at outdoor workers. If they graduate, participants are on track for in-demand, financially stable union jobs. It is welcome news, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics noting Native Americans often have higher unemployment rates than the total population.

Eaglefeathers acknowledged they often do not see a perfect graduation rate but added it is acceptable because they do not want to set up participants for failure. For those who complete the training, their chances of a successful career are much greater than before they started.

"We normally have about an 80% to 90% job placement rate," Eaglefeathers reported. "Then, we put them with a contractor that's more their speed."

He stressed comfort level is another big part of a job which is both physically and mentally demanding. Eaglefeathers estimated most classes are filled with students in the 18 to 35 age range, with those closer to middle age occasionally signing up if they are seeking to reset their job path.


get more stories like this via email

Unions representing fast food workers are asking the state's new Fast Food Council to support a 70-cent-per-hour boost in the minimum wage at its next meeting on Sept. 11.

The minimum wage for fast food workers was recently raised to $20 an hour but it works out to just over $41,000 a year, which, in California, is significantly less than the average cost of living.

Linda Becker, director of regional partnerships in the Bay Area for the nonprofit Merit America, supports a higher minimum wage but said it is just a start.

"While raising the minimum wage offers an immediate paycheck boost for low-wage workers, it's just one piece of the puzzle," Becker explained. "We still really, firmly believe that a low-wage job should be a steppingstone and not a dead end."

Merit America offers intensive career counseling and online courses in IT support, data analytics, cybersecurity, project management and UX design. It costs nothing to start and a maximum of $5,700 total. According to Forbes magazine, it costs on average more than $53,000 a year to cover housing, medical care, food, transportation and taxes in California, the third-highest cost of living in the country.

Becker pointed out learners only start to pay Merit America back, at $95 a month, after they get a higher-paying job.

"The average wage gain that we see is about $24,000 a year," Becker reported. "Which is a significant, kind of life-changing increase of wages, post-program."

California's general minimum wage is $16 an hour. Over the next few years, the state is also phasing in a higher minimum wage, of $18 to $25 per hour, for certain health care positions.