State jobless claims leap to over 100,000
California unemployment claims last week topped 100,000 again, government officials reported Thursday, in a sign the job market has yet to shake off economic woes unleashed by the coronavirus.
Jobless workers in the week ending Jan. 30 filed 104,400 initial unemployment claims, a 79% increase from the 58,200 jobless claims filed the week before, according to U.S. Labor Department data.
The claims’ leap comes as the Employment Development Department continues to struggle to pay jobless workers in a timely fashion due to the agency’s broken call center and archaic computer systems.
Conversely, U.S. jobless claims dropped by 33,000 to 779,000 applications for the week ended Jan. 30, according to the report. The U.S. numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.
California continues to generate a high share of the nation’s jobless claims, accounting for 13% of jobless claims filed in the entire country. The state’s labor force represents 12% of the national labor pool.
EDD fixes coming
California lawmakers, infuriated by the state’s failure to pay unemployed California workers, introduced on Thursday several legislative measures aimed at reforming the Employment Development Department.
The politicians introduced bills designed to address problems such as slow payments and nonpayments, bureaucratic inefficiencies, antiquated technology, poor planning and fraud.
Countless workers have been waiting weeks or even months for their unemployment benefits.
“There are so many desperate constituents, it is eye-opening and heartbreaking,” said state Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-berkeley. “We have to ensure that EDD works for everyone.”
While the legislation won’t necessarily get people paid tomorrow, the legislators urged jobless workers waiting for benefits to contact their state lawmakers so their cases can be escalated.
“Right now it is our number one priority to get people paid right now,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-norris, Dlaguna Beach.
More pay for Trader Joe’s team
Trader Joe’s is raising its workers’ pay by an additional $2 an hour — for a total of $4 — during the coronavirus pandemic as Los Angeles weighs an ordinance that would mandate an extra $5 an hour for manyworkersatlargegrocerystoresand pharmacies.
The raise doubles the $2-an-hour bump the Monrovia-based company began offering last year.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a proposed emergency ordinance that would require grocery and pharmacy retailers with 300 or more employees nationally and 10 or more employees on-site to add the $5 hazard pay to all hourly, non-managerial employees’ wages for 120 days.
The council directed the city attorney to prepare the ordinance and the chief legislative analyst to report on potential economic impacts of the measure and potential legal challenges.
The city of Long Beach recently enacted an emergency ordinance for $4 per hour in hazard pay, but it was challenged in court by the California Grocers Association. A hearing is scheduled on Feb. 19.
The Kroger Co. announced Monday that it will be shuttering two of its stores in Long Beach — a Ralphs location and a Food4less store — in response to that city’s hazard pay ordinance. The United Food and Commercial Workers union blasted Kroger’s decision as an attack on workers.