A government shutdown is inevitable, if a new spending plan is not approved by December 11th. For this reason lawmakers have been meeting over the weekend to negotiate spending will include a covid relief package. Optimism has soared as both sides has expressed a strong desire to get it done. It is reported that this particular package would not include direct Payments, rather it is a place holder of such that could be enhanced after Biden takes office. However, it will include enchanted unemployment benefits, rental assistance, student loan payment halt and other items details are expected to be released this week. Stay healthy and safe.
unemployment
Women More Likely to Face Housing Insecurity in Pandemic-Led Recession
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Women are more likely to be renters, the group hit hardest by this recession. Nearly half (45%) of female renter households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
Dubbed the “she-cession,” women face disproportionate housing impacts due to unemployment, housing tenure and childcare.
- Unemployment claims for women were up 1,368 percent year over year at the height of the COVID-19 recession. Last month, women represented 80 percent of those who dropped out of the labor
- Women are more likely to be renters, the group hit hardest by this recession. Nearly half (45%) of female renter households spend more than 30 percent of their income on
- With schools going virtual and childcare centers closed, working mothers were three times more likely than working fathers to cite childcare as the main reason they were out of work
SEATTLE, WA — The pandemic-led recession is disproportionately hurting women in the workforce and is more likely to threaten their housing security. A new Zillow analysis finds women are more likely than men to be unemployed, renters and caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic, thereby increasing their risk of becoming severely cost-burdened by housing.
The pandemic has been a startling setback for women who had been narrowing the gender gap in recent years. At the beginning of the year, more women than ever before were in the workforce, incomes were rising along with the home values of women-headed households. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only interrupted this period of growth, but may have pushed women backward in housing and employment by impacting their participation in the workforce and their potential earnings well into the future.
The Female Face of Unemployment
“She-cession” was a term coined1 to describe the disparate impacts this pandemic’s recession is having on women after the 2008 financial crisis was dubbed the “mancession” for the ways in which men were more severely impacted by Wall Street’s collapse. However, the similarities end with the moniker. A new Zillow analysis finds that year-over-year unemployment claims are 10 times higher for women during this pandemic than what men experienced in the Great Recession.
Women are more likely to work in service-sector industries, which are the most affected by the pandemic, and are feeling the effects of unemployment much more severely. In May, unemployment claims for women were up 1,368 percent year over year. At the peak of the Great Recession in 2009, unemployment claims for men were up 137 percent year over year. At the peak of the COVID-19-driven recession in May, unemployment claims for men were up 983 percent year over year, a record high, but still significantly less than the spike women experienced. Black and Latinx women are faring even worse, with persistent double-digit unemployment rates as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- “She-cession” is a term reportedly coined by labor economist Armine Yalnizyan
Four times as many women as men left the workforce in September alone. That adds up to nearly 865,000 women or 80 percent of all workers who dropped out of the labor force last month.
Unemployment and underemployment have put a strain on the ability of women-led households to afford housing. A Zillow survey from the Harris Poll2 found that women were more likely to say they would not be able to make the current month’s housing payment – rent or mortgage – if their household lost a primary source of income.
“Direct rental assistance and extending unemployment assistance could help women cover housing payment obligations and keep women afloat and in their homes for the time being,” said Zillow Senior Economist Cheryl Young. “However, these are short-term fixes. Longer term solutions like creating more affordable housing stock, economic policies that assist working parents, and increased voucher availability, are vital to ensuring that housing burdens don’t fall disproportionately on women.”
Renters at Risk
Previous Zillow research illustrates how renters have been hit hardest in this recession, and female householders overall are more likely to be renters; 37 percent of female householders are renters, compared to 31 percent for men.
According to Zillow’s analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data, 45 percent of female renter households are cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing, compared to 36 percent of male renter households. Nearly a quarter (24%) of female renter households are severely cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than half their income on housing, compared to 17 percent of male renter households.
Women of color are even more likely to be cost-burdened by housing. More than half (51%) of Latinx female renter households and 49 percent of Black female renter households are cost-burdened. More than a quarter (27%) of both Hispanic and Black female renter households are severely cost-burdened. Any loss of income, even temporarily, puts cost-burdened renter households at risk of housing instability.
Child Care Crisis
Mothers of school-age children are reportedly taking longer to regain their employment, as many child care centers remain closed and schools turn to virtual or hybrid learning models. A Zillow analysis of the
U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse survey3 shows working mothers were three times more likely than working fathers to cite child care as the main reason they were out of work (22.1% of mothers, 7.7% of fathers).
Beyond the social and cultural pressures on women to be the primary caretakers in their households, there are significantly more female-headed households led by single parents. Female-headed renter households are more than twice as likely as male-headed renter households to be single parents — 70 percent of mothers who are household heads are single parents, compared to only 32 percent of fathers.
- This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Zillow from May 4-6, 2020 among 2,065 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].
- The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse survey covers 12 weeks of the pandemic from April 23rd through July 21,
Reports suggest the double hit of being more likely to work in industries affected by layoffs, and being the main caretaker of children will affect women’s labor force participation and earnings trajectories for decades to come.
An Uncertain Outlook
Prior to the current coronavirus outbreak, women-led households were on an upward trajectory. Home values of female-headed households have been creeping closer to home values overall. The ratio of women’s home values to home values overall is 95.9 percent as of August 2020, up from 91.9 percent a decade ago, signifying there is progress being made. In labor, women were making up a larger share of the workforce and seeing incomes rise, possibly contributing to the increase in home values. This new analysis from Zillow finds that without interventions, these slow and steady improvements toward housing equality may be jeopardized by this unequal recession.
About Zillow
Zillow, the most visited real estate website in the U.S., is building an on-demand real estate experience. Whether selling, buying, renting or financing, customers can turn to Zillow’s businesses to find and get into their next home with speed, certainty and ease.
In addition to for-sale and rental listings, Zillow Offers buys and sells homes directly in dozens of markets across the country, allowing sellers control over their timeline. Zillow Home Loans, our affiliate lender, provides our customers with an easy option to get pre-approved and secure financing for their next home purchase.
Millions of people visit Zillow Group sites every month to start their home search, and now they can rely on Zillow to help them finish it — with the same confidence, ease and empowerment they’ve come to expect from real estate’s most trusted brand.
Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z and ZG).
48 Hour Deadline: Relief Funds Latest
After the 48 hour deadline was set by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, talks between her and Steven Mnuchin have heated up. They made significant progress on the bill, which gave steam to the rumors of the bill being passed. The goal was to get it done before the election, because of the challenges and time it would take afterwards. No deal has been reached despite the progress, extended unemployment, direct payments are among popular things they agree on. The major hold up is the amount of funds to local and state governments, citing difference in opinions as the blame. However, the progress made motivated the two sides to work past the initial 48 hour deadline, and well into the weekend. There is still a small level of hope of a new deal being passed before the election, stay tuned and stay safe .
PushBlack Engages its 9 Million Subscribers to Enact Social and Economic Change Through Online Petitions
National Online Platform appeals for the extension of unemployment benefits and pardon of Julius Jones
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WASHINGTON, DC – PushBlack, the premier mobile source of information for Black Americans, is putting power in the hands of the people by using online petitions to enact social change and solutions to significant problems directly affecting the community. The nonprofit aims to strengthen the Black community by sharing information that has had an adverse impact on Black Americans including the devastating economic impact of COVID-19 and an unfair justice system.
With unemployment at levels unseen since the Great Depression, Congress passed the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act in March, granting an extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance benefits. Although cases of COVID-19 are increasing, and America continues to battle a recession, the expiration date for benefits is July 31st. Black Americans have been adversely affected by the pandemic, as seen with 15.4% of Black Americans being unemployed. Due to racial health disparities, the Black community is also at a higher risk of contracting the virus.
Many Black Americans rely on this bonus for their livelihood during a health crisis that makes going to work unsafe. PushBlack is partnering with The Center for Popular Democracy to create a petition to extend the CARES Act unemployment bonuses until the economy recovers, and Americans can safely return to their jobs. The petition has garnered more than 80,000 signatures, as many believe this is the right measure to take for the betterment of the nation.
“We are living in unprecedented times as Black Americans deal with the complications of both a health and economic crisis,” said Eskedar Getahun, Interim Co-CEO of PushBlack. “To take away a resource that so many rely on to stay afloat is cruel and inhumane. Aligning with PushBlack’s mission, we must ignite actionable change in our community. This petition is fighting to ensure this safety net stays in place for necessary economic assistance.”
While Black Americans experience the trials of an unprecedented health crisis, they continue to face the perils of an unfair justice system. Over 20 years ago, Julius Jones was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and awaits the death penalty. Jones maintains his innocence, and in October 2019, he filed a clemency report to commute his sentence to time served. As his execution date draws near, many celebrities, including Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook, are garnering publicity to spread awareness of the racial bias and inconsistencies of the case. In partnership with Represent Justice, PushBlack penned an online appeal demanding Governor Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma’s Parole Board to pardon Jones.
“Julius Jones has spent 20 years on Death Row for a crime he did not commit,” said Julian Walker, Interim Co-CEO of PushBlack. “The case is riddled with evidential inconsistencies and even proof of a juror harboring racial prejudice against Jones. In history, we have seen countless instances of Black men being falsely accused of crimes. We cannot sit by as another innocent Black man’s life ends with the injustice of a wrongful conviction. We demand the exoneration of Julius Jones.”
PushBlack is committed to being a source of information for Black Americans around the country and leading the community to actionable, tangible change through education and discussion. To stay up to date and receive content from PushBlack, visit www.pushblack.us/ for more information.
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About PushBlack
PushBlack is the nation’s largest media advocacy organization for Black Americans, currently serving 9 million people across all platforms, including 5 million subscribers on Facebook Messenger. PushBlack uses the power of narrative, especially Black History, to educate and activate subscribers to build personal power and create lasting economic and political change.
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1 in 4 Wisconsinites recently unemployed are turning to alcohol, reveals study.
- 40% of employees have noticed the mental health of their co-workers suffer since the start of lockdown.
- 2 in 3 workers believe believe employers should have official systems in place to help staff deal with mental health struggles.
- Infographic included.
The economic aftermath left in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak cannot be underestimated. The Department of Labor has reported that over 40 million* Americans have lost their jobs in the space of just nine weeks since the start of the pandemic. Having to remain at home means those who have lost their jobs have may have limited support for the newfound financial strain, as well as mental distress caused by lockdown. For some, one of the ways of coping with trying circumstances during this time is to numb the pain with alcohol.
American Addiction Centers, leading provider of substance abuse treatment resources, conducted a study of 3,000 people to find out how they are dealing with the economic pressures of the pandemic, particularly when it comes to facing unemployment. Worryingly, the survey found that 1 in 4 (25%) Wisconsinites who were rendered unemployed due to lockdown, admit they have taken to drinking more than usual ever since.
View survey results across America
Over 1 in 10 (14%) respondents admit they too would turn to alcohol if they lost their job, in order to help cope with the mental and financial stress. Worryingly, an additional 5% say they would turn to drugs to help deal with this pressure.
The impact of social distancing measures appears to have had an impact on the happiness of employees in the work place in general too. In fact, 40% of employees say they have noticed the mental health of their co-workers suffer since the start of the outbreak. Given that a large percentage of a worker’s day is spent in the company of colleagues, it is difficult to hide mental illness at work – even via a video call.
If you work in a team environment, it is likely you will also develop strong personal bonds and friendships with your fellow colleagues after working together for some time. In fact, 39% of employees admit they miss having after-work drinks with colleagues.
The bond between co-workers is highlighted by the fact that 67% of respondents say they would offer to help a former colleague financially if they had lost their job due to the pandemic.
Moreover, 36% of people say they would report to their employers out of concern if they found out that another colleague was drinking on the job while working from home. Given that 1 in 3 employees (32%) admit to drinking alcohol during work hours while in lockdown, this is a realistic scenario.
An additional 69% of employees say they believe companies should have official systems in place to help staff deal with mental health struggles due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Anxiety, depression and other mental health struggles have been exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak, and the stress that comes from precarious employment situations that many are enduring can be a lot to handle,” said Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers. “Many people are turning to alcohol to cope with their newfound hardships and, in turn, are compounding their difficulties. Excess consumption of alcohol can be a slippery slope that can lead to dependence and alcohol use disorder. If you feel that your excess alcohol intake, or that of a co-worker or loved one, is becoming problematic, reach out for help.”
American Addiction Centers defines substance abuse as the excessive use of either drugs or alcohol, which results in functional and clinical impairments. It important to recognize both the physical and emotional symptoms of substance abuse, however, it must also be noted that some can also be signs of anxiety, depression or physical illness. If more than one of these symptoms is noticeable, there is likely an issue that needs to be addressed.
The following is a guide for employees on symptoms commonly associated with substance abuse:
- Tremors
- Bloodshot eyes and constricted or dilated pupils
- General drowsiness during the workday or falling asleep on the job
- Being late to work
- Drop in job performance and increased errors
- Mood swings and angry outbursts
- Isolation and withdrawal from the team
- Forgetfulness and impaired concentration
- Panic attacks
- Paranoia
Frequently, if an employee notices a fellow colleague exhibiting symptoms of substance abuse, they may be reluctant to intervene for fear that the person will lose their job. However, covering up for the impaired person can be interpreted as enabling their habit, which can be even more detrimental to the issue at hand, as it allows them to continue to use the substance without being held accountable.
As a co-worker and friend to the impaired, you cannot attempt to diagnose the problem on your own. Instead, American Addiction Centers suggests taking the following steps:
- Document incidents where you notice your colleague’s symptoms, recording the time and date of each.
- Go to your supervisor.
- Consult the company’s HR department for guidance and advice on how to proceed.
Please find further information regarding substance abuse detection on the workplace here.
Stimulus Checks Who Gets It? Who Doesn’t? And Other Aid Available
DWD Announces New Webpage Providing Unemployment Insurance Claims Data
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) launched a new webpage that displays preliminary numbers related to unemployment claims received by DWD’s Unemployment Insurance Division (UI). Information can be viewed by visiting https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/covid19/public/ui-stats.htm.
The displayed data currently includes the preliminary number of unemployment applications filed each day in the week, as well as last year’s counts for the same day and week for comparison. The preliminary number of unemployment weekly claims filed each day will be included as of Monday, March 23, 2020. The preliminary numbers will be updated daily.
The data are used in current economic analysis of unemployment trends in the nation, and in each state. Unemployment applications measure emerging unemployment and continued weekly claims measure the number of persons claiming unemployment benefits.
The Department of Workforce Development encourages people to file for unemployment benefits online. For more information on how to file a claim for unemployment benefits, please visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/.
A Lie is a Lie, is a Lie!
Somebody’s lying, and given that this is Black History Month, I can readily assume who, and why.
If you believe the political hype, the nation’s unemployment rate has continuously hovered around its lowest rate in history for the last six months.
And in case you don’t understand political double talk, a rate of less than 4% is considered “full employment,” which means everybody in this country is meaningfully employed, living in a nice three bedroom house with a white picket fence and sending their children to the best private schools their middle-class income allows.
(Oops, sorry about that last definition. Full employment and the American Dream generally don’t include Black Americans, who prefer wood grain to white picket fences, and as part of their blind allegiance to the Democratic Party are not allowed to send their children to private schools because it undermines teacher union control over government schools.)
Many of those trapped in failing government schools—remember that Carter G. Woodson declared they miseducate and brainwash our children—are earmarked for the prison industrial complex, where guards and social workers are gainfully employed. Ironically, few of them look like us either.
But I regress.
If we are to believe the political hype from both sides of the new political Mason-Dixon Line, when the tide comes in, all ships—including Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Lines—rise. So, by accident or design, that means there should likewise be full Black employment in America as well; even if that means $7 per hour service jobs.
Nope, nope, and nope! Black History has taught us not to believe the promises of grinning bureaucrats, or the false promises of politicians, on the right or left.
Thus, the lie doesn’t actually include Hue-mens, although we are told it does mean the Black unemployment rate supposedly has been cut in half. And depending on whose disingenuous data you want to believe that cut represents 8%, 10% or 26%.
Apparently, we’re talking about a bi-partisan lie, since both parties proclaim that African American unemployment in the free territory south of Canada (where Latinos and Hispanics are willing to risk life and limb to migrate to), has been officially reduced to levels unseen since the heyday of slavery.
(Most of you probably missed the announcement of this historic achievement because it was revealed at a press conference of print journalists and published in newspapers across the country. But since our form of media has become increasingly for the middle class and elite, you probably missed it. Normally, news of this type—full employment—is good for one political party and a curse to the other. But since both sides are trying to take credit for this monumental achievement (even though it’s a lie), they find themselves caught between the proverbial rock and hard place–which in laymen’s terms translates to that political void between public gullibility and political rhetoric.
Republicans are now advancing the lie because it’s the only “accomplishment” Emperor Donnie “45IQ” Trump can claim as a political victory during his seemingly, gut-wrenchingly endless tenure.
And Democrats have to perpetuate the “white lie” (if anyone else used this analogy it would be considered racist, but since it’s coming from my typewriter keys…) while trying to convince the public Trump is, in truth, drinking at the oasis waterhole created by his predecessor, Barack Obama.
But hey, don’t take my word for this deceptive and corrupt strategy, I’ve heard it come out of the lips of partisans ranging from 45IQ to Nancy Pelosi and Al Sharpton (wouldn’t that be a hell-of-a presidential ticket, although we would never know who was wearing the political pants or whose agenda was really being advanced).
Pelosi links the record unemployment rate to Obama policies and dismisses Trump’s declaration that his administration achieved the historic accomplishments. Instead, the fiery speaker of the house, charges the narcissistic emperor with the white and sometimes yellow hair, is in truth trying to do to Obama’s legacy what Napoleon did to the Sphinxes in Egypt (the little French emperor ordered the noses on the colossal half man-half lion (?) be blown off because they were wide, like the noses of most native African people).
And Sharpton, aside from cementing Obama’s legacy (which he takes partial credit for), apparently got caught up in the hoopla and continues to proclaim Obama took us all to the promised land.
Caught up in the lie, Sharpton has to ignore the brothers standing on the street corners, or the hustlers and gang members who have created their own economy. He is also apparently blind to the Black poverty rate, and the thousands—maybe millions— who survive because of government programs.
If only the rhetoric were true: Full employment would mean Black men could afford to wake up in households they were mandated by Nyame (God) to head, and the poverty rate would be cut in half, since it is currently based on the income of single parents.
If it were true, church tithing would increase four-fold, the Black marriage rate would soar to 35%, and every household could afford books to motivate the young children to look beyond summer jobs cleaning up county parks and envision themselves studying X-rays and writing prescriptions for their patients, instead of their clients.
If it were true, the poverty pimps would have to get legitimate jobs, sales of Remy Martin would outpace Hennessey, and no one would have to worry about the lie of school privatization and instead begin researching how to create new industries for their children, knowing that robotics and high-tech digital creations will eliminate 40% of manual labor jobs in the next 30 years.
Yeah, if only it was true… And who knows, maybe it is for White America. But it surely isn’t for people of color.
Somehow, they ran out of jobs before they could offer them to Black, Colored, Negro, Afro and African Americans. Which means the suggestion that Black unemployment has been cut in half is also a lie.
The reality is the record unemployment lie is a lie that just keeps fueling the political and civic debate, both because we’re the most gullible people living in a democratic society, and because far too many of us have fallen prey to this new distraction called political polarization. Under that scenario, the two sides (I assume it’s two) are so adamant in their opposition to their enemy they can’t see beyond the smoke from political gun fire.
There was a time when the political sides debated policies and philosophies. Today, they hate each other so much some fear a civil war is on the horizon, with socialism or a theocracy being the outcome.
As the African saying goes, when two elephants fight, only the grass gets hurt. And in case you haven’t figured it out, we’re the grass.
Truth of the matter is, the data from which the politicians are using to perpetuate the lie of full employment is faulty at best, ascertained from sample surveys in communities that are not reflective of America at large, much less its urban communities. The Labor Department’s “Current Population Survey” only offers a direct “yes” or “no” to the question of whether a person worked in any capacity in the last month. It does not factor in whether they worked a day or an hour, or whether they worked for a dollar or a dime.
Seasonal work is included in the survey as are various other categories you would not consider employed under other circumstances. The rate also doesn’t include people no longer looking for work, but does include folks working for temp firms, even though they might work for one week a month.
And then there is what I call the exclusionary factor. I have not in my entire life crossed paths with any Hue-man, anywhere at any time who has been asked to participate in a government survey other than the census.
In other words, finding an African American who has participated in the labor department monthly “unemployment” survey is about as reliable as finding a 20-year-old virgin.
Conversely, the number of un-and-underemployed Milwaukee brothers continue to rank among the highest in the country.
The fact that the unemployment lines continue to run around the corner, state funded employment agencies are back-logged and poverty pimps continue to get rich off us, reveals a depressing reality.
And if those factors don’t move you, try this one: the African American poverty rate actually increased under Obama.
Translated into Ebonics, that means that unless 40,000 brothers left town, were incarcerated or killed since UW-Milwaukee’s researcher Marc Levine’s ground-breaking research revealed Milwaukee’s Black male unemployment rate was over 54% for men 18-60, that rate continues to define Milwaukee.
So, show me, Ms. Pelosi and Rev. Sharpton, where all these newfound jobs and opportunities are? Convince me that the political pronouncements are true.
Obviously, this will become a moot issue in 2040 when experts predict technology will replace 30-40% of current manual labor jobs with robots and illegal immigrants willing to work for slave wages.
And whoever the president will be when that day arrives, will look back at the lie perpetrated in 2016-19 and blame the future decline on 45IQ, or whoever won’t be around to defend themselves.
And even if they are still alive, I expect them to respond with a half-truth, which according to grandma is a full lie that is allowed to linger around for too long. In other words, a lie is a lie, is a lie. Unless it is uttered by a politician to a gullible citizen.
Hotep.