99ers Arrested In New York Protest For Additional Weeks Of Unemployment Benefits

Police arrested four people Friday during a small protest outside a New York City unemployment office. The protesters blocked the street to draw attention to the plight of "99ers" -- people who've exhausted 99 weeks of unemployment yet still haven't found work.

"It is not our shame. It is your shame, Congress," shouted Kian Frederick, an advocate for 99ers, into a bullhorn. "Do your job! Shame on you!"

Ninety-niners want Congress to recognize that there are five unemployed workers for every job opening and give the jobless an additional 20 weeks of benefits.

Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced long shot bills to create those extra weeks of aid, but that effort will take a back seat in the lame duck session to the more urgent task of reauthorizing the existing 99 weeks, set to expire at the end of the month. (Some members of Congress and their staffers have been confused about the difference between helping the 99ers and reauthorizing the existing benefits.)

The extended benefits that Congress needs to reauthorize provide up to 73 weeks of aid on top of the 26 weeks provided by states. Five million people currently received the extended benefits, which are routinely enacted in response to recessions and left in place until the unemployment rate declines. If Congress fails to reauthorize the benefits, two million long-term unemployed will prematurely stop receiving checks within one month, according to the National Employment Law Project.

(Nobody knows how many 99ers there are because the government doesn't have the data to make an estimate.)

The Rochester Unemployment Examiner reported that "Kian Fredrick, Yvonne Fitzner, Joe Stanick and Debbie Kloepping were arrested, handcuffed, and spent about 90 minutes in custody before being released."

The local ABC affiliate has video of the protesters blocking the street and getting arrested. WATCH a video of Frederick's speech:

On Wednesday, a dozen labor-organized protesters spoke out against the GOP's opposition to unemployment benefits at incoming House Speaker John Boehner's office in Ohio.

CORRECTION 10/20/11: An earlier version of this article described Frederick as a 99er. She says she was advocating for 99ers but had not been out of work that long herself before she was arrested.

Comments

[99erStarvinNVA]

04:50 PM on 12/17/2010

99ers should revolt nationwide. This is a travesty! Why are we putting up with the rich getting richer and the poor getting ignored. I am a baby boomer and no one and nothing is there to help me. I have called my Senator and Congressman ad nauseam. No support from either. Even faxed the White House only to be harassed by the Secret Service.

We need to create a bond and respond collectively. I am an educated (Master's) person and I have worked all my life. I am sorry that we have no representation or even consideration.

[Polly Sauers]

04:21 PM on 12/11/2010

THANK GOD for anyone that will speak out against the insanity of our government. Absolutely, Congress should be ashamed as well as anyone should be that takes a "livelihood" away from a family during a recession.....a recession caused by the GOVERNMENT not the people but yet the people have to pay for government's mistakes......

[terrified01]

02:44 PM on 12/10/2010

The government doesn't want to say how many 99ers there are, it's information they can easily get.

I tried to get State medical coverage for my son while he was a student with no insurance and they wanted a statement of "no" income from the Dept of Labor. They just don't want to share those numbers...

[davidlou]

05:11 PM on 12/03/2010

I recently became aware of The Nationwide Rally to Extend Unemployment Insurance after reading a comment to a post on another news website. Curious, I goggled the term “The Nationwide Rally to Extend Unemployment Insurance” and was directed to the rally’s page on a website dedicated to the unemployed, the under employed, and the working poor. The website www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com, has a “think tank were visitors go to come up with ideas to improve their circumstances. The idea for the rally was actually hatched there. If you can, please sign up for this rally. I really do believe that if we come together, we can change the agenda of our congress.

[missygoose]

09:15 AM on 11/23/2010

Four people?? That's the most we can come up with? No wonder Congress and the GOP laughs at us, were such complacent sheep in this country.

[Louis Meadows]

01:22 AM on 11/23/2010

It's time for a cocktail for Madoff !

There comes a day like no other, Hang em, Hang em high

We know how did this and it time to finish it.

King Louis

[missygoose]

09:16 AM on 11/23/2010

I don't feel sorry for Madoff's "victims". The vast majority of them were already super-rich and still are, and the portion who were not super-rich were also the ones who were seeing a 20% return on their investment yet never stopped to question why. They got what they deserved, all of them, for being so greedy.

[TheCarCzarsPage]

11:11 AM on 11/22/2010

99ers are us!

[Califishing]

06:06 PM on 11/19/2010

Well here's a case of the American people speaking. Is the GOP listening? HEY, HEY, the people are speaking.

[missygoose]

09:19 AM on 11/23/2010

Only FOUR people. I don't know that I'd listen, either, unless there was a huge crowd a la 'Battle in Seattle' making it impossible for Congress to even get to their luxury offices. That's what we need, but Americans won't do it - partly because we're sheep and just take whatever they give us and partly because we're all too concerned with putting food on our tables to take the time. America is a sad place today. I don't see it ever changing.

[NOBLEMAN]

04:48 PM on 11/19/2010

America intrinsically remains in an economic state of emergency. President Obama could actually implement an Executive Order to extend unemployment, and add a Tier 5.

[EmilyRose2010]

12:43 PM on 11/19/2010

this is such a joke. 99 weeks come on now, this is so unfair to extend it, give it up folks, get a job flipping burgers please.
who are suffering here are people on social security for age, for disabled, two years and no raises but our premium for medicare goes up regardless shrinking the monthly check.

[TheCarCzarsPage]

11:12 AM on 11/22/2010

Mexicans going home 'cause there's no jobs here; other examples of a total lack of what you'd term "jobs."

[missygoose]

09:23 AM on 11/23/2010

Another Rethug thinking a 50-something person can walk into a Burger King and get a job. We're not all Lester Burnhams, you know.

There needs to be a Tier 5, Tier 6, and so on and so on until jobs are created and the rate is down to maybe 5%. And Congress can help straighten this whole mess out moneywise by requiring that unemployment offices verify job searches and kick off the people who can't provide them. Not once in 2 years have I ever been asked for my job searches by unemployment.

[WWWoDMOCRATSoORG]

05:32 AM on 11/18/2010

We the people of the United States of America form this Liberal Democratic Party of the United States of America for the promotion of a progressive agenda for America.

We generally support the progressive and liberal candidates that run in the regular Democratic party. We do not run candidates. We do not handle money. Our power comes from the unionization of our party members who tell GOP contributors and other regressive contributors that UNTIL you get the House and Senate and the President to enact our party platform at the present point into law YOU will lose our business as consumers. By doing this we avoid petitioning a corporate corrupted congress and go to the source of corruption and pressure them for the legislation under threat of massive boycotts.

Party members will send the party agenda by email to these GOP and regressive contributors and get new people to join us.

Imagine it and it will happen.

The Republican party appears weak and vulnerable at the cash registers of those companies that give money to them.

To join us go here www.democratz.org and send some emails and get others to go there. If you like this message then Join us.

[WWWoDMOCRATSoORG]

05:28 AM on 11/18/2010

Here's how you force the Republicans to extend unemployment benefits.

Brown Forman Corporation the distributor of Jack Daniels whiskey and Southern comfort gives money to Republicans for campaign donations regularly to Mitch McConnell and operates out of Kentucky the State where McConnell Resides.

Wendy's Restaurants and JM Smuckers ( Makers of Peanut butter and Jam ) both have given money to Republicans and operate out of the State of Ohio where the new speaker John Boehner resides.

Normally if you wrote to McConnell and Boehner to get unemployment insurance extended both will politely ignore you at best or laugh at you at worst.

So I have a better way. Write, email and call Brown Forman corporation, Wendy's restaurants and JM Smuckers corporations i.e. the corporate friends of McConnell and Boehner and tell THEM

I Refuse to do business with your company from now on until you talk to your friends Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority leader McConnell go and pass the unemployment extension without any amendments.

I promise that if you get 300,000 people like those who got Keith Olbermann back on the air in 5 days you will do the American people a service of helping those unemployed who need help.

Let the calls, emails, and letter writing begin.

Don't forget that the Republican party appears weak and vulnerable at the cash registers of those companies that give them money.

[AMCD]

05:45 PM on 11/19/2010

Here is Brown and Forman's company email address and verbiage I sent them.

[e-mail]

The Senator you give money to, Mitch McConnell, is against extending unemployment benefits. And because you have more influence over him than I do, I suggest you contact your Senator and convince him that extending these benefits to those in need is probably more important than his political posturing.

I for one will not be buying Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort if and until benefits are restored.

I can get along with [insert other brand here] just fine.

A concerned American.

Here's the contact form page for Wendy's. You may have to start your own form session... In that case use http://www.talktowendys.com

http://www.talktowendys.com/CEMS/ut4207/Pg17_2.aspx?

Dear Wendy,

The Senator you give money to, John Boehner, is against extending unemployment benefits. And because you have more influence over him than I do, I suggest you contact your Senator and convince him that extending these benefits to those in need is probably more important than his political posturing.

I for one will not be buying eating at Wendy's if and until benefits are restored.

I can get along eating at McDonalds or Carls Jr just fine.

A concerned American.

[theobserver4]

08:16 PM on 11/16/2010

99 weeks is an awfully long time to be unemployed....I know its rough out there and I'm willing to bet its going to get worse. GOPers are going to want Obama to declare martial law if they cut unemployment, S.S. and Medicare while the rich continue to pile up money.

[PUPITO]

03:32 PM on 11/16/2010

Flash forward: Oct 2102. Obambi signs tier 45 UI benefits into law. what a complete failure this Administration is! This administration cares more about ILLEGALS than it's own. You Libs are sick, just sick!

[MrOctober]

07:24 PM on 11/16/2010

you're right, Obama is not cleaning up Bush's mess. I'm sure if Bush could have just gotten a third term the economy would be all happy now!

[AMCD]

05:52 PM on 11/19/2010

If we would just go after those that hire Illegals they wouldn't have jobs to come here for. The large percentage of employers who take advantage of cheap Illegal immigrant labor are owned and run by Republicans.

The Republicans only care about corporations and the filthy rich.

When I stand before Jesus I know which side I cared about.

[PUPITO]

03:29 PM on 11/16/2010

But didn't Obambi state that he would lower Unemployment to 8% or less if they only gave his Administration that stimulus money? What happened???? Lemme see, taxpayers spent 117 million dollars on 74 highway signs stating "Your Stimulus Money at Work" Sorry, times up already! Exactly where do we draw the line?

[AMCD]

05:53 PM on 11/19/2010

LOL!!! It took Bushco 8 years to make this mess and you expect it cleaned up in two? Man, you must think Obama is the second coming.

[missygoose]

09:42 AM on 11/23/2010

How about across every Republican's neck? And while we're at it, let's calculate how much money was thrown away on two fake wars that could have not only saved the economy altogether but provided health care to every citizen in this country.