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Post by Mel on May 11, 2021 18:51:01 GMT
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announces unemployment benefits cut, citing need to boost economy
Tyler Jett
Des Moines Register
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is cutting federal unemployment insurance benefits that were created at the start of the pandemic last year, saying she believes they are holding back the economy.
Reynolds said in a news release Tuesday that the benefits will expire June 12. Congress created the programs in March 2020 to expand the types of workers who could receive benefits and extend the period they could get benefits.
As of April 17 — the most recent date for which data is available — about 33,000 Iowans were receiving unemployment through the two primary federal programs, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
"Now that our businesses and schools have reopened, these payments are discouraging people from returning to work," Reynolds said in a statement. "... We have more jobs available than unemployed people."
Reynolds joins Republican governors in other states who have announced in recent weeks that they, too, are cutting federal unemployment insurance programs.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provides benefits to a range of workers who don't qualify for normal state unemployment insurance. This includes self-employed workers, independent contractors, those who didn't earn enough money at their prior jobs to get benefits, those at a heightened risk from COVID-19 and parents who don't have child care.
Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Compensation extended the number of weeks workers could receive benefits. Standard unemployment insurance normally lasts 26 weeks.
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,912
Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on May 11, 2021 19:17:17 GMT
Good ole Asa announced a couple of days ago that AR would opt out of the Federal Supplemental Unemployment program. "We need Arkansans back on the job."
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,328
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on May 11, 2021 19:20:06 GMT
North Dakota governor did the same thing.
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Post by Merge on May 11, 2021 19:43:56 GMT
Wealthy shareholders need YOU to take a shitty low-wage job that won't keep a roof over your head, so money can keep flowing into their pockets. And when you're part of the working homeless, they'll criminalize that, too, because no one wants to see all those poor people in their pretty neighborhoods.
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Just T
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,539
Jun 26, 2014 1:20:09 GMT
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Post by Just T on May 11, 2021 19:46:31 GMT
Missouri's governor did the same thing today.
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,170
Location: Alabama
Jan 29, 2015 16:24:49 GMT
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Post by janeinbama on May 11, 2021 19:47:05 GMT
As did Alabama.
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Rhondito
Pearl Clutcher
MississipPea
Posts: 4,657
Jun 25, 2014 19:33:19 GMT
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Post by Rhondito on May 11, 2021 19:52:00 GMT
and Mississippi.
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
Jul 12, 2014 21:58:10 GMT
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Post by pridemom on May 11, 2021 19:56:31 GMT
Missouri's governor did the same thing today. I was going to post this. I was talking to a friend who I worked with when I was in Workforce Development last night about this. There are far too many variables to blame this on the additional unemployment.
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Post by sean&marysmommy on May 11, 2021 20:03:06 GMT
Same here in South Carolina.
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Montannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,486
Location: Big Sky Country
Jun 25, 2014 20:32:35 GMT
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Post by Montannie on May 11, 2021 20:03:56 GMT
Montana gov did this last week.
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Post by essiejean on May 11, 2021 20:27:27 GMT
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was the first to reject the additional $300 back in 2020. As far as I know our state hasn't had this government bonus and we are still in the midst of a hiring shortage - with the tourist season looming.
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Post by Merge on May 11, 2021 20:35:15 GMT
600,000 people have died in the last year. I know a lot of them were retired, but is it possible that some of others were the workers that haven’t returned?
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sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456
Jun 26, 2014 23:58:32 GMT
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Post by sassyangel on May 11, 2021 21:27:15 GMT
Funny, how every single one of these states claiming they can’t get workers is a Republican state with (IMO) low minimum wages. 😏
Ladies, I present to you - the party of the working class. 🙄
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,856
Aug 29, 2015 2:39:19 GMT
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Post by lizacreates on May 11, 2021 21:44:47 GMT
Mel , Reynolds said that Iowa’s lack of workers is “bordering on a crisis” due to enhancements. I’m not understanding fully because your current unemployment rate is only 3.7%, well below the average of 6%. Your labor participation rate is already at 65.8%, the second highest in the country, and even higher than the nation's average in good times. So there's a disconnect somewhere. Could it be that you just don’t have enough people with the skills for the jobs that are available? Did you experience a significant drop in population, maybe? Enhanced unemployment insurance did not cause a labor shortage. There’s no definitive evidence of that. As I said on the other thread, maybe only to some extent. It may be one of the factors but certainly not the only factor. It may not even be the MAIN factor. Truth is no one really knows! Anecdotal experience is not a sufficient basis for drawing a conclusion in this regard.
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RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
Posts: 5,372
Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on May 11, 2021 21:49:06 GMT
And when you're part of the working homeless, they'll criminalize that, too, because no one wants to see all those poor people in their pretty neighborhoods. Shhh, quit giving other states ideas from the Texas playbook!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 5:21:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 21:53:19 GMT
Ladies, I present to you - the party of the working (themselves into the ground for a pittance and stop complaining) class.
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Post by Merge on May 11, 2021 21:59:26 GMT
And when you're part of the working homeless, they'll criminalize that, too, because no one wants to see all those poor people in their pretty neighborhoods. Shhh, quit giving other states ideas from the Texas playbook! I suppose I also shouldn’t tell them to pass an abortion ban, suppress voting rights, and make it illegal to teach accurate history. all in the span of two weeks, while ignoring our crumbling energy grid and underfunded public schools. Iowa can only hope to sink as low as Texas has this session.
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,912
Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on May 11, 2021 22:05:44 GMT
600,000 people have died in the last year. I know a lot of them were retired, but is it possible that some of others were the workers that haven’t returned? C'mon @merge let's not worry about common sense here. Or that some of these places closed during this time and there is no employment to go back to. I do wonder about that. I wonder how many job vacancies were left due to someone dying from Covid?
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sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456
Jun 26, 2014 23:58:32 GMT
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Post by sassyangel on May 12, 2021 2:31:14 GMT
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miyooper2b
Full Member
Posts: 329
Location: Central Indiana
Jun 27, 2014 15:38:05 GMT
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Post by miyooper2b on May 12, 2021 12:42:32 GMT
In Indiana you can keep getting the $300 but now you have start proving you are looking for a job. That requirement had been waived during Covid.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 5:21:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2021 13:05:05 GMT
This is what red states/GOP is all about.
Treat people like shit so they're miserable and desperate. Take away any benefit meant to ameliorate life's inherent unfairness.
That makes them ripe to take any shitty job or live on the streets.
Oh, and don't live on the streets - cuz we'll throw you in jail.
And we'll spend $30,000 to $50,000 per year to keep you there.
But we won't spend that same $30,000 - $50,000 to keep you in your home, happy and productive.
That's LEFTY thinking!!!
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
Jul 11, 2018 15:20:45 GMT
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Post by julie5 on May 12, 2021 13:49:25 GMT
Indiana is reinstating the “must actively search for work” mandate. I have to say, I’m glad. There are SO MANY OPEN JOBS it’s ridiculous. Menards is hiring at $18, White Castle is hiring at $13 an hour. To literally flip burgers. I worked in a hot factory for $10. There are jobs. People city’s don’t want to work them.
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julieb
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Jul 3, 2014 16:02:54 GMT
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Post by julieb on May 12, 2021 13:52:54 GMT
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 5:21:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2021 13:54:29 GMT
Indiana is reinstating the “must actively search for work” mandate. I have to say, I’m glad. There are SO MANY OPEN JOBS it’s ridiculous. Menards is hiring at $18, White Castle is hiring at $13 an hour. To literally flip burgers. I worked in a hot factory for $10. There are jobs. People city’s don’t want to work them. It's not just about the wage, Julie. It's about the SCHEDULE. Too many of these companies give workers too few hours/week to make it. And/or they change schedule every week and don't notify you until late the previous week. Making it impossible for people with parents to care for or children to care for or even students with class schedules. If employers want employees, they need to start treating them like humans, not necessary evils.
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
Jul 11, 2018 15:20:45 GMT
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Post by julie5 on May 12, 2021 13:55:31 GMT
Also since I know I’ll get bashed, if we all sit around and expect the government to pay us to sta the home during a pandemic, amd we eventually become reliant on that since we’ll lose job skills-isn’t that communism. I mean how long do really want to ride the government money. I get it, don’t want to get the virus. But we’re past the one year mark, we’re on track with the vaccine, at some point we have to redefine our normal amd get to it.
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,856
Aug 29, 2015 2:39:19 GMT
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Post by lizacreates on May 12, 2021 13:57:32 GMT
I’m at the point where my attitude is “So what?” So the unemployed are getting $300/week extra. So what? That benefit is ending Sept 4. Schools in some areas have reopened or are planning to reopen. Whatever we’re facing now is not long-term because people will still need to have paychecks for rent, utilities, food, etc. None of the need is going away.
Christ almighty, due to Wall Street we lost over $10 trillion in the Great Recession, we lost over 15 million jobs, and it cost $1 trillion to bail out the institutions that caused the crash. That’s the kind of stuff Americans should be angry about, not this. A pandemic and enhanced UI gave millions of workers a break for once and you’d think America is on the brink of collapse from all the protestations and the vapors.
Sometimes I think this is too much ado over nothing.
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
Jul 11, 2018 15:20:45 GMT
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Post by julie5 on May 12, 2021 13:59:09 GMT
Indiana is reinstating the “must actively search for work” mandate. I have to say, I’m glad. There are SO MANY OPEN JOBS it’s ridiculous. Menards is hiring at $18, White Castle is hiring at $13 an hour. To literally flip burgers. I worked in a hot factory for $10. There are jobs. People city’s don’t want to work them. It's not just about the wage, Julie. It's about the SCHEDULE. Too many of these companies give workers too few hours/week to make it. And/or they change schedule every week and don't notify you until late the previous week. Making it impossible for people with parents to care for or children to care for or even students with class schedules. If employers want employees, they need to start treating them like humans, not necessary evils. I know all about the schedule. I was a single mom for many years. It sucked finding childcare, making ends meet on my wage. But that’s not a pandemic issue. It’s an economy issue. It’s a workforce issue. It’s why I’m pushing my kids to gain a marketable skill whether that be a university for my science kid or a trade fit my disabled kid. So they aren’t flipping the damn burgers. But even still, if my kid went to work at White Castle, she’s making more than I ever have in my life.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 5:21:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2021 14:01:37 GMT
It's not just about the wage, Julie. It's about the SCHEDULE. Too many of these companies give workers too few hours/week to make it. And/or they change schedule every week and don't notify you until late the previous week. Making it impossible for people with parents to care for or children to care for or even students with class schedules. If employers want employees, they need to start treating them like humans, not necessary evils. I know all about the schedule. I was a single mom for many years. It sucked finding childcare, making ends meet on my wage. But that’s not a pandemic issue. It’s an economy issue. It’s a workforce issue. It’s why I’m pushing my kids to gain a marketable skill whether that be a university for my science kid or a trade fit my disabled kid. So they aren’t flipping the damn burgers. But even still, if my kid went to work at White Castle, she’s making more than I ever have in my life. When they stop treating people like crap people will go to work there. I have no sympathy for the MULTI-BILLION dollar companies who are FINALLY getting a taste of how they treat others and might just have to change their ways to get and keep good workers.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 5:21:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2021 14:13:47 GMT
Indiana is reinstating the “must actively search for work” mandate. I have to say, I’m glad. There are SO MANY OPEN JOBS it’s ridiculous. Menards is hiring at $18, White Castle is hiring at $13 an hour. To literally flip burgers. I worked in a hot factory for $10. There are jobs. People city’s don’t want to work them. That's not entirely true and you know it. People are putting in applications for jobs that are being dismissed because they're overqualified or the system dumped them because a key word was not listed.
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Post by Merge on May 12, 2021 14:57:26 GMT
Indiana is reinstating the “must actively search for work” mandate. I have to say, I’m glad. There are SO MANY OPEN JOBS it’s ridiculous. Menards is hiring at $18, White Castle is hiring at $13 an hour. To literally flip burgers. I worked in a hot factory for $10. There are jobs. People city’s don’t want to work them. That's not entirely true and you know it. People are putting in applications for jobs that are being dismissed because they're overqualified or the system dumped them because a key word was not listed. Also, things are much worse than they were back in the days that many of us were struggling. Rents and other costs are higher, wages have not risen proportionately, and “difficult” doesn’t begin to describe the problem of jobs that expect workers to be available at a moment’s notice, but also don’t promise any minimum number of hours. No one can live on part-time work, and because of schedule flexibility expectations, it’s nearly impossible to keep 2-3 part time jobs as it used to be. One of the problems my senior has had is that low-pay jobs still expect complete schedule flexibility. They’re not willing to hire someone still in school for an evening/weekend job because they only want people who are available during all opening hours. The idea that $13/hr is too much for a burger flipper is laughable. Even at full time, that’s well below the poverty level. People can neither add a second job nor go to school to better themselves because if the expectation of endless availability. I really wish people my age and older would let go of the idea that because we did something, people today should be able to do it too. Our society is not the same. I temped in factories in south Omaha during college breaks, and it was hard, hot work, but those workers had a guarantee of full time with paid vacation, benefits, and a pension. Nothing like that exists for most people any more. (ETA: senior just texted me as I was typing to tell me she’s applying at Mod Pizza. Fingers crossed that they’re willing to hire her for afternoon/weekend work and will allow her to set aside certain days for lessons and performances. Other places aren’t willing to do that. When I was in high school, I was able to have a job that let me designate certain off days around my extra curricular schedule, but most employers today aren’t willing to do that. Employees that are have more applicants than they can possibly hire. Short story is, if you can’t find enough workers, look at how you’re treating the ones you have. If you don’t allow people to have a life and still keep their job, your business model sucks and you should have no expectation of people being willing to work for you.)
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