Dow Jones Industrial Average down in 2014

San José, CA – On Friday, Oct. 10, U.S. stock prices fell again, ending a week marked by ups and downs in the market. As measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 large U.S. corporations, stock prices have actually fallen slightly this year.

At 62.7%, lowest since 1978

San José, CA – On Oct. 3, the Department of Labor released their report on the job market for September. The report showed that the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR), or the percentage of adults either working or looking for work, continued to decline, and hit a low not seen since 1978. Almost 100,000 jobless workers gave up their job search and left the labor market, helping the unemployment rate to go down to 5.9%, the lowest since summer of 2008.

Growing economic inequality means only the rich are getting richer

San José, CA – On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Census Bureau released their annual report on income and poverty for 2013. The report showed that the typical household had a small gain in their income for the first time since 2007. The median household income, at $51,939 was still below that of 1996, when adjusted for inflation. It is still down 8% from 2007 and 8.7% less than its peak in 1999.

Washington DC – In a speech before the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute here, Sept. 18, the Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner denounced jobless workers and said that they needed to be brought into “the mainstream of American society.”

Result of the federal cutoff of Extended Unemployment Benefits?

San José, CA – On Sept. 5, the Department of Labor’s monthly report on the job market said that employment grew more slowly in August. There was a rise of only 142,000 jobs, much less than the average of about 240,000 for the last six months. In addition, the Labor Department revised down the job gains for June and July by 28,000.

St. Paul, MN – Members of the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) gathered outside Governor Mark Dayton’s mansion here, Sept. 4, to demand the governor, along with the Minnesota state government, provide public assistance to everyone who needs it and that they increase the welfare grants.

EUC stalled in Congress

Washington, DC – Unemployment rates ticked upwards in 30 states, according to an Aug. 18 report from the federal government’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ohio, Maryland and South Carolina had the largest job losses. Mississippi has the country’s highest unemployment rate, at 8%. Meanwhile, Congress is in recess until September.

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, not able to put aside any savings for a rainy day or the future? Or worse, not having a full-time job for years, struggling through unemployment, part-time, and/or temporary jobs and having to rely on family, community or government help to get by? At the same time, the news is filled with stories of how the stock market is at record highs and about billionaires’ cash is buying elections?

Washington, DC – Data released by the federal government July 18 show that many states continue to suffer from consistently high rates of unemployment. House Republican leaders are blocking efforts to restore emergency benefits for the long-term unemployed.

Washington, DC – Noting that hundreds of thousands of the long-term unemployed are veterans, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urged fellow legislators pass a measure to restore emergency unemployment benefits, at a press conference here June 19.