Fla. unemployment: Jobless locals dread squeeze on benefits

Fla. unemployment: Jobless locals dread squeeze on benefits


"Doug Pugh was laid off in 2009, after nine years with his employer, and
collected state unemployment benefits for 26 weeks."
"The benefits have expired. But Pugh, a Greenacres father of two teenagers, can
remember when he first became jobless and how that $550 every two weeks
helped."
"I won't tell you it went real far, but it was still a lifesaver,"
said Pugh, 59, who was interviewed at the Workforce Alliance center in West
Palm Beach, where he is still trying to find full-time employment. "That
money kept the lights on."


"The Florida Legislature is considering a bill that would be the toughest in
the U.S. when it comes to collecting jobless benefits. It would cut the
maximum duration of payments from 26 to 20 weeks for people applying after
Aug. 1. And as the unemployment rate drops, benefits could last as few as 12
weeks."

"The bill also would allow employers to deny more employees benefits by making
it easier to fire them for cause.

As of April 2, 528,395 people were on the unemployment rolls in Florida."

Unemployment statewide is 11 percent, one of the highest rates in the nation.
Palm Beach County is a bit worse at 11.1 percent, according to the Florida
Agency for Workforce Innovation.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/fla-unemployment-jobless-locals-dread-squeeze-on-benefits-1390299.html