The new fight for unemployment rights
November 27, 2024 at 12:18 a.m.
With the promises made by the soon-to-be commander in chief, Donald Trump, some communities are worried about how their lives could change.
Kevin Duarte, a wage dispute coordinator at the Don Bosco Community Center, believes the political climate is more reason to come together and fight for one another.
“We have a new president coming in that has some people scared,” he said. “But that just means we can’t be weak. We have to rise up together and fight for what we want.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 20, a meeting space on the top floor of the community center at 22 Don Bosco Pl. became a launching point for a struggle that immigrant advocacy groups are undertaking: The Unemployment Bridge Program.
Local immigrant organizations including the Sustainable Port Chester Alliance, Community Resource Center, United Community Center of Westchester and Neighbors Link were present to show their support of the initiative.
It’s a movement looking to expand unemployment insurance protections to those who had typically been excluded from receiving benefits.
The bill related to the matter going before the New York State legislature would grant undocumented immigrants the ability to receive financial assistance for up to six months, so long as they make less than $56,000 a year.
“If someone doesn’t have unemployment protection, they don’t have security in their lives for themselves or their family,” said Janet Fry, the deputy executive director of Community Resource Center in Mamaroneck. “When there’s no income, there’s no food. There’s no rent, electricity or water. People need unemployment protection.”
The bill, co-sponsored by State Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Steve Otis, calls for $500 million of the 2025 state budget to be allocated for the revamped benefits.
Similar program proposals have been introduced before, in the last two years, but none have made it to the governor’s desk. But Otis and Fry believe changes made to the bill this time around increase its chances of making it in the long run.
“The rules for unemployment insurance come at a federal level. But this legislation would expand who qualifies for coverage,” Otis said. “You are not alone. There are other categories of workers who were left out of the federal program as well. We want them covered as well.”
State Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Steve Otis are two of the bill’s co-sponsors. Both spoke at the event on the importance of supporting the rights of all workers.By David Tapia
The newest version of the legislation would allow for freelance, self-employed workers and those who were recently released from incarceration to be eligible for healthcare benefits.
“In this way, we’re trying to build a larger coalition of support for excluded workers,” Otis said. “We want to be sure that if unemployment strikes, these people receive financial protection.”
Fry understands that it would be a heavy burden on the New York State budget, but emphasized it’s estimated to cost significantly less than other similar initiatives.
“You have to remember we didn’t ask for $2.1 billion in the Extended Workers Fund. We asked for $5.4 billion, but that number came down to make sure it passed,” Fry said.
She referred to an initiative that passed in 2021, which was created to provide financial support for undocumented immigrants who couldn’t receive federal aid, like unemployment insurance or stimulus checks, because of their legal status.
“This time, we aren’t asking for that much,” Fry said. “We’re fighting for $500 million to get more workers, not just for those who don’t have undocumented status, but for everyone who’s been left out.”
Senator Mayer urged the community to come together behind this effort because the future for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is uncertain.
“We have to fight right now, we can’t wait for this to happen,” she said. “As we all know, we have a new president coming in and he is not a fan of anyone in this room here. And there are some people who agree with him in Albany. So, we have to come together and fight for this so that if people lose their work, they can still live.”
José Cruz Clavel, who traveled from Yonkers to show his support, said the Unemployment Bridge Program would help everyone, not just undocumented immigrants.
“I think it would benefit the community as a whole. It wouldn’t just support the person who was working in the store, but their children,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re undocumented or not, we all pay taxes and it just doesn’t seem fair to me that we’re such a big part of the workforce, but we aren’t supported in this way.”
Mayer hopes to push the Unemployment Bridge Program when the State Legislature meets in January. When the legislators meet, Fry is hopeful supporters of the initiative will gather there.
“First, we have to rally in the streets,” she said. “Then, we all have to go to Albany to demand for this. So please don’t disconnect yourselves from this. This is just the start of a campaign that we hope to end next year.”
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