The St. Louis Labor Tribune has published the Missouri AFL-CIO’s review of the recently concluded action at the state capitol.. Enjoy the Top 5 Labor stories from the 2024 legislative session….
5. Fighting off attacks on unemployment insurance. Large corporations are always going after our hard-earned social safety net, and they play the long game. At a time of record low unemployment they thought we wouldn’t have the organization or the wherewithal to stop attacks on unemployment income (UI) benefits; they were wrong. The attacks came in two major forms: (1.) Reducing the week of eligibility by tying is to the statewide unemployment rate (SB 745), and (2.) By reducing insurance payments by offsetting them against unrelated benefits workers have already earned (i.e. reducing UI payments by a worker’s unused vacation time they had saved when laid off).
While unemployment is low now, that doesn’t mean workers aren’t still being laid off, or that the good times will last forever. Both attacks threaten the long-term security of Missouri’s workers, but with the help of union workers and leaders from across the state we were able to stop these bad bills and protect workers rights.
As the president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, I want to thank every union member that made a call, wrote an email, came to Jefferson City or attended any political event this spring to help us fight back against the anti-Labor bills in Jefferson City. It’s a tough environment, and winning certainly isn’t guaranteed, but every year we pull together and fight like hell to protect our rights. I’m grateful to be in this fight with you.
(graphic via Pixabay)
