Question of the day
Thursday, Dec 1, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a few days ago…
Many Metro East steelworkers who have been laid off by U.S. Steel could be on the verge of some financial help. A proposal to extend unemployment insurance benefits is expected to be discussed this week on the floor of the Illinois House. […]
Essentially, the proposal extends benefits to 52 weeks. Current law only provides a 26 week period, meaning benefits for many of the roughly 2,000 laid-off steelworkers in Granite City have already expired.
“A lot of the lawmakers said that they felt that this is exactly what unemployment was meant for,” United Steelworkers Local 50 President Jason Chism told St. Louis Public Radio.
“Especially, whenever we’ve lost our jobs through no fault of our own down here. And it was due to trade and a lot of illegal foreign dumping of steel,” he said.
* Telegraph…
The U.S. Steel Mill in Granite City has idled its operations and laid off approximately 2,000 workers due largely to the illegal flood of cheap foreign steel into the United States.
* Labor Tribune…
United Steel Workers Local 1899 Dan Simmons hasn’t heard any good news coming out of the steel industry lately that could indicate a possible re-opening, leaving little immediate hope for workers.
“They’re hurting,” Simmons told the Labor Tribune. “They’re losing houses, they’re selling everything, some are leaving town. It’s bad.
“I’ve had people crying in my office – they can’t pay their bills,” he added. “I’ve handed out more food in the past two weeks than I’d handed out the whole time up until then. I’ve got a food bank that’s almost empty.
“This is the worst time I’ve ever experienced in my 38 years working there.”
* The bill overwhelmingly passed the House today…
* The Question: Is this bill a good idea or not? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
polls
- Arsenal - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
Did Ives introduce an amendment to extend it to all workers?
- Annonin' - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
Simple rule if Ives dislikes it must be good.
- Deft Wing - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:53 pm:
Ives’ is often wrong, and many times very public about it (to her detriment), but she’s correct on this one.
- RNUG - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:56 pm:
If the layoffs are the result of illegal dumping, then the federal government failed and the State should assist them.
- 100 miles west - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:59 pm:
What RNUG said
- Politix - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:00 pm:
Good idea and Ives’ opinion is painfully disingenuous.
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:05 pm:
AFSCME you don’t know how you good you have it
- Joe M - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:05 pm:
It was brought out in the presidential debates that Trump used China steel to build in Las Vegas. Is that true?
- Anon221 - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:06 pm:
Agree with RNUG.
As to Ive’s, here a quote for you from your colleague this past summer:
Beiser’s message to any lawmakers who would vote against workers who lost their job through no fault of their own: “To hell with them. We’re not going to let this thing go.”
Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article91020207.html#storylink=cpy
- JohnnyPyleDriver - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:06 pm:
I don’t like this idea that workers in some sectors are more deserving of UE insurance than others. And I can guarantee there are poorer people than a laid off steelworker.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:08 pm:
===I can guarantee there are poorer people than a laid off steelworker.===
In fairness, Ives doesn’t want to help them either.
- Federalist - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:09 pm:
Arsenal - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
Did Ives introduce an amendment to extend it to all workers?”
Good point!
- JS Mill - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:11 pm:
Should be extended for everyone. While steelworkers have been affected many businesses (and their employees) that served them were impacted as well.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:12 pm:
Bad idea. Treat everyone the same.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:18 pm:
RNUG. Boat hasn’t lifted a finger to help them in Washington that I know.
- Ebenezer - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:28 pm:
What’s different in six months?
The long term trend is US manufacturing production is up, while manufacturing employment is declining. This has been a trend for 40 years. Politicians that peddle some coming boom in manufacturing jobs are selling a fantasy.
The longer someone is off work, the harder it is for them to be hired. Its a humanitarian gesture, but the money would better spent on training and support for new jobs.
Years ago, we hired someone who had lost their job due to trade, and we received a subsidy of part of their wages for some months through a federal program. It made us more comfortable with the time it took him to get up to speed in our industry. Tax money well spent. I think it was called TAA and I don’t know if it still exists.
- Truthteller - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:30 pm:
Hey, almost the weekend, do you give a prize to whoever wins the race to the bottom or do you just cheerlead with your Pom poms as you observe the erosion of the middle class?
- JohnnyPyleDriver - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:31 pm:
It is TAA and it still exists, though I don’t know if there are any new rounds coming out presently. I know several programs that were approved in the last couple years are coming on line now
- forwhatitsworth - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:31 pm:
Any bill that Jeanne Ives votes no for must be a good bill in my opinion.
- Not Fair - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:37 pm:
This is not fair. The steelworkers priced themselves out of jobs with greed, for years, at the bargaining table. What about non-steelworkers who have lost jobs? Only in Illinois. Sad state of affairs.
- Amalia - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:39 pm:
are we just doubling for everyone? cause steelworkers are no more needy than others. the underlying issue is what makes this special case of interest, and which I could support if stated that way, and applicable in other such cases. there have to be some parameters.
- MasterPiece - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:46 pm:
I love it when someone posts that workers “priced themselves out of the market.” The going wage rate for steelworkers in the world market is like $2.00/hour. So tell us how much an American steelworker should be paid. The subtext is always that unions forced these jobs out of the U.S. when in fact there is no low wage in the U.S. that can compete with a starving peasant in a developing country.
- RIJ - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:46 pm:
What about people laid off because the State isn’t paying bills?
- Shemp - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 1:59 pm:
Probably be easier if we just enforced our trade agreements.
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:02 pm:
Not all admirable ideas are good ideas. So is the case here.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:08 pm:
Bad idea. It shouldn’t be restricted. If you are going to do it then do it for everyone.
- Agree - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:11 pm:
I agree. There is a lot of greed in the U.S. union labor workforce. This ASFCME fiasco is living proof. A wise man once said,”you can’t have your cake and eat it to.” Wise up MasterPiece!!
- Jocko - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:17 pm:
As others have said, it’s all or nothing.
As for “illegal flood of cheap foreign steel”, it’s not like you can smuggle this under your coat. As with immigration, those “job creators” using these resources need to be punished.
- Ebenezer - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:18 pm:
@ Master Piece
If it’s $2.00/hour over seas, then the US worker need to be 10X as productive to earn $20/hr. Or more likely, there are no US steel workers.
150 years ago, most jobs were on farms. Now almost none are.
In a world where Vietnam is worried about losing garment industry jobs to automation, there is no boom in US manufacturing employment.
I can’t predict the future, but it doesn’t look like the past.
- Madigan's Lapdog - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:32 pm:
If only Trump had been prez when the facility chose to cease operations. /s
- downstater - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:35 pm:
Meaningful worker’s comp reform would go a long ways to helping the US Steel plant in Granite City. They’re paying 8 times the rate for their Granite City employees as they are at their Gary, Indiana plant.
I agree with Ives.
- Huh? - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:38 pm:
Good idea. I know what it is like to be unemployed for a year in a very restrictive job market. Any help is appreciated.
- SAP - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:42 pm:
Voted bad idea. I don’t like the idea of 2-tier unemployment benefit structure.
- 13th - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 2:43 pm:
why did they not do this for all the human services worked at local not for profits that have been laid off because Springfield cant do there job of passing a budget
- Decatur Gal - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:00 pm:
Good idea. The industry is changing and they need more time to figure out a new way to make a living…or time to move elsewhere.
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:16 pm:
Nice to see the little guys successfully banding together to get something out of the GA and not just the megacorps like Exelon.
Wish the roll call was up for this though. Why did Dwight Kay remove himself as a co-sponsor after the election?
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:24 pm:
@13th - they didn’t do it for all human services workers at shuttered nonprofits statewide because those folks aren’t a special interest group in a particular location that is a Madigan-Rauner battleground district.
also society is unfortunately sexist and voters value and respect the work of mostly male steelworkers in the for-profit private sector than they do mostly female social workers in the non-profit govt./charity sectors. sad but true.
- opie - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:39 pm:
does nothing to fix the overall problem,
- Anon - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:42 pm:
I’m not sure of the legality of it, however I’m quite certain of the ethics.
Unemployment insurance is financed by federal and state payroll taxes. They’re by a significant majority of the employees in every sector and every industry.
No employee from a specific sector should be granted extra benefits at the expense of all of the other sectors which will never be able to qualify for those benefits.
Either everyone goes to 52 weeks or no one should.
I would anticipate that if this pass and were signed into law it would immediately see a court challenge from someone representing the tens of thousands of other unemployment benefit recipients that should also receive the funds.
- Going nuclear - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:49 pm:
There is a worldwide glut of steelmaking capacity. The layoffs at U.S. Steel started two years ago when oil prices plunged, creating a weak energy market. Good for consumers; not so good for Granite City. Most of facility’s steel goes to making pipes/tubes for the oil and gas industry.
- CrazyHorse - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 3:56 pm:
==If it’s $2.00/hour over seas, then the US worker need to be 10X as productive to earn $20/hr. Or more likely, there are no US steel workers.==
Why so corporate CEOs and the like can make all of the money? I mean as another example, if it costs say $5 to make a pair of Air Jordans that get sold for $250 or so, why can’t we pay a worker $15 or $20 an hour to make them rather than some kid in Taiwan or wherever. What profit margin is ever enough? Say what you will about Union greed but just be certain to look at corporate greed through that same prism.
- Danno - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 4:00 pm:
Its a start to help those in need. Hey SOMETHING passed to help people out in this state. Maybe 1 will lead to 2 and before you know it we are helping the people of Illinois and things get moving again! Not suggesting we continue spending ourselves into oblivion, but this seems humane and should be extended to all the unemployed.
- Captain Obvious - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 4:38 pm:
So these 2000 are worse off than any of the other folks who have lost their jobs? I see no justification for the special treatment. I got laid off last year and got 26 weeks. I was glad to get that but it was a couple months after that when I finally started my new job. What is magical about the steel industry that makes them more deserving? Time for them to buck up and deal with it like adults and quit crying to the government for special treatment.
- train111 - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 4:54 pm:
Working on 5 months out after being laid off due to plant closure and transfer of jobs to Juarez. Am going to have to make due with the resources available. Why an extension for some. I Agree with my state rep - Ives - on this one. Rare but it does happen.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 5:14 pm:
President Elect Trump uses foreign steel. Who did you vote for? Extension of benefits for some - not right. Too expensive.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 5:36 pm:
Agree that it seems wrong to limit to this particular group.
These employees may have been laid off because of illegal dumping, but the broader trend appears to be loss of work because of advances in technology, not just outsourcing. So someday soon, we’ll have to start thinking about what to do when there are many fewer jobs available. We can’t let everybody starve, so that’s when we’ll have to start thinking about a universal basic income. A kind of permanent unemployment benefit-foe ALL.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 5:50 pm:
Sorry, 5:36 above end should read: for all.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 6:37 pm:
“Either everyone goes to 52 weeks or no one should.”
I voted no for this reason. Lots of people hurt or risk pain when they become unemployed. I don’t want to compare one group’s pain with another.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 6:40 pm:
Cassandra- I have been very interested in the concept of Universal Basic Income. It is being tested in an area of Denmark I believe right now to see if it works. Can’t wait to see if it is effective.
- Lynn S. - Friday, Dec 2, 16 @ 12:00 am:
Honeybear and Cassandra:
Are you ladies aware of the Canadian “mincome” experiment back in the 1970s? I know NPR did a story about it a few years ago.
UBI was an idea Milton Friedman talked about, and now that I’ve gotten older and had some time to wrap my head around it, I’ve become a huge UBI fan. It could lead to some very interesting changes in how our governments function. I’d be interested in hearing what Liz Phair Tax has to say about UBI.
Perhaps if the three of us got together, we might be able to persuade Rich to do some UBI stories here.