Since the end of March, the extra $600 a week in Unemployment Insurance has pumped at least $1.5 billion into Kentucky family budgets and the Kentucky economy.
At over $100 million a week, it’s keeping families afloat and stopping business closures and layoffs. But it’s about to end.
Failure to extend UI benefits would widen our state’s racial wealth gap: Black and brown workers are more likely than white workers to face unemployment and have fewer savings.
On July 15th, unemployed workers and elected officials will discuss the challenges facing families dealing with job losses, the impact of emergency federal unemployment benefits on Kentucky’s economy, and the need for Congressional action. This event will feature a panel of advocates, workers, and small business reps as they describe the value of expanded UI –and call on Congress to act.
At the town hall, unemployed workers who are relying on the $600 weekly supplement will describe how the additional funds impacted their lives and what a future without this additional money during a pandemic may look like. Jobless people who are excluded from, denied, or still waiting for unemployment benefits will share the sacrifices and strategies they have used to survive without income.
The town hall event is sponsored by the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Kentucky State AFL-CIO.
Who:
● McKenzie Cantrell, member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, event emcee
● Bill Londrigan, President of Kentucky State AFL-CIO
● Dustin Pugel, Senior Policy Analyst at Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
● Kentucky workers who have lost their jobs or are experiencing a loss in income due to COVID-19
● Dan Wu, Lexington restaurant owner and community activist
● Robyn Smith, Employment Attorney
When: July 15, 11 a.m. ET
