Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray joined Governor Patrick today in urging the Senate to extend unemployment benefits, and criticized Republican Charles Baker for proposing to eliminate unemployment benefits for 12,000 Massachusetts workers. Lt. Governor Murray said in a statement today:
"People who are eligible for unemployment, have a proven work history and played by the rules, need unemployment benefits now more than ever to pay their bills and put food on the table. In addition to being a desperately needed lifeline for the unemployed and their families, it also supports our local businesses because those funds are going directly into the Massachusetts economy.
"It is sad that Charlie Baker has aligned himself with national Republicans on this issue and wants to deny extending unemployment insurance for Massachusetts workers. This is further evidence that Charlie Baker is woefully out-of-touch with the needs of regular people."
- As families struggle to make ends meet while their unemployment benefits dry up, Charlie Baker is trying to take even more away from citizens of the Commonwealth by proposing to increase the number of weeks you must have worked in order to be eligible for benefits if you become unemployed.
- If this proposal was enacted, over 12,000 Massachusetts workers would have lost their benefits in 2009, showing that Charlie Baker is far out of touch with the needs of the citizens of Massachusetts.
- Workers who are eligible for unemployment and have played by the rules need unemployment benefits now more than ever. They are a lifeline to the unemployed and their families, and provide a boost in local business and economy.
- The Governor and Lt. Governor recognize that there are struggling people behind the numbers. 10,000 citizens lose unemployment benefits each week. Nearly 70,000 workers have exhausted their benefits in the past two months due to Republican inaction in Congress.
