Thousands Out Of Work With Benefits Set To Lapse

More than 90,000 people were out of work in Queens as of October, according to statistics released by the federal government. The number includes over 23,000 people whose unemployment benefits are scheduled to lapse on Jan. 1, as well as 47,000 more whose benefits will lapse at the end of April, 2011.

D-Forest Hills, and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall stood inside Queens Borough Hall Tuesday afternoon to urge the passage of legislation that will help those in need of a jobless benefits extension.

The press conference came mere hours after President Barack Obama announced he had made a deal with Congressional Republicans to extend jobless benefits for 13-months in exchange for a two-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans. The deal has created a crisis of conscience for some Congressional Democrats, who favor the jobless benefits extension, but oppose the continuation of tax cuts for million-dollar earners.

Cheryl Sikovitz, a resident of Kew Gardens Hills, stood with Weiner and Marshall to advocate for the extension of jobless benefits.

Sikovitz lost a long-term job in the summer of 2007, and with the exception of a brief stint with a temp agency, has been unable to find anything new. Her benefits stand to run out immediately without an extension.

"One of the things that is clear is that people like Cheryl should not be caught in the crosshairs [of government debate]" Weiner said.

Sikovitz said that the hardships she's endured in the job market — and the harsh realities of the current economy, make unemployment insurance vital to her everyday life.

"It's not fair for us not to have something, we're paying into it, and we should have it," Sikovitz said. "I go to job fairs, nothing. I go online, nothing. I go to a couple of interviews, nothing. People are being very picky."  

Weiner said that while he had some fundamental disagreements about what the administration gave up in exchange for the jobless benefits extension, it was important to make sure the safety net for the unemployed wasn't yanked away for so many New Yorkers.

"I think that we're going to have a discussion about the merits of the deal, but I think there's something to be said for getting us all on the same page; that we're all fighting for the same thing," Weiner said. "And I believe that there is a difference between the things that Republicans are fighting for in this deal … and the things that Cheryl is going to benefit from."

Marshall, for her part, said that Queens as a borough was hurting badly as a result of the difficult job market, and that a loss of income for tens of thousands would hurt the borough worse still.

"Jobs are still difficult to find… in Queens, 8.2 percent of our population is unemployed," Marshall said. "I know that these benefits provide crucial assistance to unemployed individuals and their families while they try to find a new job. "

*Statistics courtesy Office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.