Unemployed Hoosiers express anger at hearing
INDIANAPOLIS--Members of a House committee heard emotional, often angry testimony from unemployed Hoosiers and others during a meeting Thursday.
The House Labor and Employment Committee held a public hearing in regard to the state's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The committee's chairperson scheduled the hearing, he said, because the system isn't working.
“We’re here today because that fund essentially is broke,” said Rep. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, the chairperson.
The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is money that goes toward payment to unemployed workers of Indiana. With this trust fund, unemployed individuals can be eligible to draw benefits that range from $187 to $390 per week for 6 months or until employment is attained.
In the last several years, the benefits paid to unemployed Hoosiers have been larger than the income from the taxes paid by employers. With the layoffs because of the recession, Indiana's unemployment rates have soared.
“Indiana is in a crisis stage,” said Niezgodski.
Indiana has borrowed $216 million from the federal government because of the deficit in the trust fund, said Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
“We are estimating dollar amounts that we believe we would be borrowing at future dates if the Legislature does not take positive action,” said Voors. She estimated that close to $500 million will be borrowed to support Indiana's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund by June.
Many unemployed Hoosiers also testified during the committee meeting about the lack of reliability in the unemployment system and WorkOne, Indiana’s unemployment service.
Voors acknowledged that there were glitches in the WorkOne portal online, but she also said that unemployed Hoosiers must understand it takes time for applications to go through due process and some unemployed individuals are not eligible.
Some in attendance were not convinced.
“You can’t call, because they never answer their phones,” said Andrea Mooney, an unemployed worker who has dealt with WorkOne. “I think one time, out of the umpteen times that I called, I was called back.”
Monica Reed, another unemployed Hoosier, said that a WorkOne worker once told her to let her husband provide for her while she waited for her unemployment benefits to go through the system.
“I don’t have a husband,” she said.
Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, read a letter signed by 55 unemployed Hoosiers. She also told of 10 complaint calls she received in her first two weeks in office from unemployed constituents.
“The words ethics and accountability has to be brought into the picture,” said Jim Jensma, an unemployed Hoosier from Muncie.
Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations George Raymond also testified saying, “Everyone’s going to have to come together” to solve the trust fund issue.
As the meeting dismissed, Niezgodski lamented his disappointment at Gov. Mitch Daniels’ State of the State Address.
“The governor assisted not a solution whatsoever,” said Niezgodski about Daniels’ address.
He also referred to the line in the State of the State address where Daniels said these hard times separate the “winners from whiners.” Niezgodski said that he hoped Daniels was not referring to the many unemployed Hoosiers who were facing severe hardship.
