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Reforming Unemployment
International President Tom Buffenbarger
says that state governments need to take a hard look at their unemployment
insurance systems to make sure they are doing the job.
Unemployment Insurance: More
Than Just a Benefit
Unemployment insurance stops recessions from becoming depressions.
Unemployment Insurance
Will it pay the bills? A laid off IAM member's experience.
Using Unemployment as a Weapon
Employers have traditionally used unemployment to drive down wages, divide workers, and undermine unions.
Different Flavors of Unemployment
Understanding the causes of unemployment is vital to combatting it.
Resources & Contacts
How you can help effect unemployment reform.
Get the Video
Order "Reality Checks" a free IAM-produced video that explores the current state of the nation's unemployment insurance system.
Email your order to IAM Communications
Director Rick Sloan at rsloan@iamaw.org
or call the Communications Department, 301-967-4520.
They Call This Wage "Insurance?"
Unemployment is supposed to be a wage insurance program. But fewer than 4 in 10 jobless workers in America ever collect an unemployment benefit check today. And those who do, have their incomes chopped by more than half.
The finances of the UI system have been severely damaged by years of corporate tax cuts that have bled millions of dollars from state trust funds, nationwide. How does your state compare?
The table below shows the
percent of jobless in each state, the average dollar value of their weekly
benefit check, and how well each state could pay benefits during a recession.
States are accorded a Crisis status,
a Warning status, or a Well-Funded
status.
The 14 Crisis states wear a badge of
shame. They pay benefits to a below-average number of jobless workers and
have less than a year if benefits on hand.
The nine Warning states could be bankrupt
quickly by even a brief recession; they have less than a years' worth of
benefits on hand, yet pay benefits to a higher-than-average number of jobless
workers.
The 27 Well-Funded states have at least
a year's worth of benefits on hand. yet, 18 of these states still pay benefits
to a below-average number of jobless workers.
|
State |
Percent of Unemployed
Receiving Benefits |
Average Dollar Value
of Weekly Benefit Check |
Status |
| Alabama |
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| Alaska |
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| Arizona |
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| Arkansas |
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| California |
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| Colorado |
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| Connecticut |
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| Delaware |
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| Florida |
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| Georgia |
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| Hawaii |
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| Idaho |
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| Illinois |
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| Indiana |
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| Iowa |
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| Kansas |
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| Kentucky |
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| Louisiana |
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| Maine |
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| Maryland |
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| Massachusetts |
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| Michigan |
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| Minnesota |
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| Mississippi |
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| Missouri |
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| Montana |
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| Nebraska |
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| Nevada |
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| New Hampshire |
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| New Jersey |
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| New Mexico |
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| New York |
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| North Carolina |
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| North Dakota |
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| Ohio |
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| Oklahoma |
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| Oregon |
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| Pennsylvania |
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| Rhode Island |
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| South Carolina |
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| South Dakota |
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| Tennessee |
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| Texas |
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| Utah |
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| Vermont |
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| Virginia |
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| Washington |
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| West Virginia |
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| Wisconsin |
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| Wyoming |
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