Related Topics
Related Stories
Charles Bullitt, 48, of Lancaster, received what he thought was his final unemployment check Monday, marking the end of a seven-week extension of benefits. He has been unemployed since March 2008, when he lost his job preparing taxes in York.
"It's a nerve-racking time, but the good thing about it is there's a lot of support in Lancaster with community services that help me out," said Bullitt at CareerLink of Lancaster County, where he was taking skills tests for a potential employer Friday.
Recent legislation bought more time for Bullitt and others who are out of work. On Sept. 22, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 331-83 to extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks in the 27 states with unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent.
Pennsylvania is one of those states. Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts (16th District) was the only Pennsylvania congressman to vote against it.
In an e-mail statement Thursday, Pitts said the extension "also extends a federal government surtax on all businesses through 2010. If we want to create jobs, the worst thing to do in a poor economy is to raise taxes."
Employers pay a 6.2 percent tax on employee wages. That rate was scheduled to drop by .2 percent in January. The recent legislation delays that decrease until 2011.
Only a few constituents called Pitts' office to urge him to vote for the unemployment extension bill, according to Andrew Wimer, his press secretary. Just one displeased person called after the vote, said Wimer.
The congressman's political opponent in 2010, Democrat Lois Herr, blasted his vote. "The people are hurting so badly in this economy and I would have voted to extend it," she said. "People are out of work longer than expected, and they need it."
Pitts' district includes Lancaster County, along with portions of Chester and Berks counties. Lancaster County's unemployment rate reached 7.6 percent in August, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, its highest level in 26 years. Still, that was tied for fourth-lowest in the state.
It's even lower in Chester County, where the unemployment rate rose from 6.5 percent in July to 6.6 percent in August. Berks County's unemployment rate is significantly higher, at 9.3 percent in August, up from 9.2 percent in July.
The state unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a point to 8.6 percent in August — the highest in almost 25 years.
Statistics show Lancaster County has an estimated 20,300 people without work, 8,300 more than a year earlier.
Manufacturing jobs here now total 37,700, the fewest since since 1990.
Construction, retail, leisure and hospitality, business and professional services have all seen a decrease in the number of local jobs. One of the few sectors to grow was education and health services, which added 1,300 jobs, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry.
Nationally, the unemployment rate reached 9.8 percent in September, and employers slashed another 263,000 jobs, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Labor released Friday. Job-seekers now outnumber openings 6 to 1.
Bullitt has a lot of company.
He went on yet another job interview last week and tries to keep his hopes up. But news of the latest unemployment benefits extension gave him a boost.
"That'd be awesome!" he said. "That's a godsend. My landlord will be happy."
Jeannette Scott is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact her at jscott@lnpnews.com or at 291-8689.
(527)
