I was so heartbroken and upset when I heard that Republican Governors in 25 states across the country are ending federal unemployment benefits early for no reason, leaving nearly 4 million workers like me with no support.

Republican governors, bankrolled by dark money and special interests—and corporate lobbyists—want to put millions at risk by ending emergency unemployment benefits that Americans need to survive. And they're already succeeding in 25 states across the country. 

Sign this petition calling upon President Biden to ensure that unemployment benefits continue.

Dear fellow MoveOn member,

My name is ReVonda Bowen, and I am sharing my story as one of the over 20 million Americans who lost their jobs because of selfish corporations putting profits over people during the pandemic and then who struggled to survive because of broken unemployment systems.¹

I was so heartbroken and upset when I heard that Republican governors in 25 states across the country are ending federal unemployment benefits early for no reason, leaving almost 4 million workers like me with no support.² But President Biden and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh can step in and do something about it.

Will you sign my petition asking President Biden to take action in support of workers and against states trying to end federal unemployment benefits early?

Governors are listening to the Chamber of Commerce and the restaurant industry, lobbying groups who represent corporations, instead of listening to working people. Corporations want to force us to take jobs with low pay and no security. These jobs demand 24/7 availability but don't guarantee full-time hours or benefits and are often unsafe. 

Ending federal unemployment benefits programs early will be absolutely devastating for families across the country. Many will continue to suffer, go hungry, or lose their homes as a result of these terrible decisions.

It's already bad enough that corporations and the ultra-rich in this country have profited off of the backs of working people like me to get over $1 trillion richer during the pandemic that has taken the lives of almost 600,000 Americans and led to record unemployment, hunger, and starvation; has overworked health care workers; and has sacrificed essential workers to maintain the status quo.³

It made me re-evaluate everything. I had two jobs and was laid off from both of them. I showed up for work day after day, and when I needed them to show up for me, they didn't. I felt like I was just a number. 

Then, while being the caretaker for my dad who has had seven surgeries in the last year, I had to deal with a broken unemployment system. I still am. I haven't received any unemployment benefits money since March, even though I have spent so much time applying, calling, and emailing. And I know I'm not alone. It's just wrong.

I’ve heard so much about “going back to normal,” and we should ask ourselves: normal for whom? Normal for me was having to work two jobs just to survive. It’s messed up. 

The truth is that we need a new normal. A normal where employers start paying workers a living wage, provide benefits like health care and paid sick leave, allow workers to unionize their workplaces, and much, much more. But instead, the right-wing GOP is now blaming working people for demanding decent jobs that allow us to earn a living wage and be there for our families. They say that unemployed people are lazy and that emergency unemployment benefits are just an incentive for them to stay home, when, in reality, our economy is still down millions of jobs.⁴ It’s insulting. People are desperately looking for work, and unemployment benefits are helping families survive until the economy fully recovers. 

Will you sign my petition asking President Biden to step in and support the continuation of unemployment benefits for struggling Americans?

As a woman who is mixed-race, I have dealt with racism many times in my life and know that these cuts to unemployment benefits are an attack on workers of color and Black workers especially. Because of racism in the job market, Black workers are the last ones to be hired when the economy picks up.⁵ That means Black workers like me are more likely to be on unemployment insurance right now. 

It’s wrong. I believe that when we say “we’re all in this together,” it should mean that if there are people who need food in their refrigerator, who need their lights to stay on, who need a roof over their heads, our leaders will take action to help them. Not cut off their benefits.

That’s why I started this petition and am sharing my story with you today. Because I’m one of those people who want people to fight for me, and I want to fight for everyone. I want to be able to show not just that I’m a bartender but that I’m also a leader. 

Will you join in solidarity with workers like me, add your name to my petition, and then pass it along to your friends?

Thanks for all you do. 

–ReVonda Bowen, a MoveOn member and Center for Popular Democracy member

Sources: 

1. “Tracking the COVID-19 Recession’s Effects on Food, Housing, and Employment Hardships,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, accessed June 28, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150082?t=12&akid=300959%2E40999114%2Ex66Qb7

2. “States will start cutting off federal unemployment benefits this week. Here’s a map of where (and how soon) aid is ending,” CNBC, June 7, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154429?t=14&akid=300959%2E40999114%2Ex66Qb7

3. “Tracking the COVID-19 Recession’s Effects on Food, Housing, and Employment Hardships,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, accessed June 28, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150082?t=16&akid=300959%2E40999114%2Ex66Qb7

4. “Jobs and unemployment,” Economic Policy Institute, accessed on June 28, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/154430?t=18&akid=300959%2E40999114%2Ex66Qb7

5. “Laid Off More, Hired Less: Black Workers in the COVID-19 Recession,” The RAND Blog, September 29, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/154431?t=20&akid=300959%2E40999114%2Ex66Qb7

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