by Mike Hall, Dec 1, 2010
Edrie Irvine, unemployed for more than a year, says Congress must act now to maintain jobless benefits. Jobless workers, Anthony Roebuck (L) and Russ Myer (R), flank her.
Yesterday, Anthony Roebuck’s unemployment insurance (UI) benefits ran out. It was the same day Senate Republicans would not even allow a vote on a bill to maintain the lifeline that has helped keep food on the table and a roof over the heads of Roebuck, his wife and young son—and millions of other jobless workers.
The 44-year-old Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) member from Denver, out of work since April, says:
My unemployment insurance ran out yesterday and I don’t know what I’m going to do without it, especially in a hard-hit economy where there are no jobs. No one wants to be on unemployment…we’d all rather be back at work right now. But the jobs just aren’t there.
