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Snohomish County business
Jobless benefits cut off for many

By Jane Hodges
Times Snohomish County bureau

	Darrell Chapman
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EVERETT — Roughly 1,000 workers in Snohomish County will lose their unemployment benefits this week as the federal government ends its extended-benefits program for workers who have exhausted other forms of unemployment funding.

Unemployed workers in the state normally qualify for up to 30 weeks of regular benefits through state funds, and in recent years they had been able to access 13 more weeks of payments from two additional programs. Workers who exhausted those options could then, because of the extended-benefits program, access further assistance.

The federal government makes the extra money available for workers in states with high unemployment rates. Washington's monthly unemployment averaged 7.5 percent last year and 7.3 percent in 2002, ranking it among the worst three states, along with Alaska and Oregon, for most of 2003 and all of the previous year.

However, to continue receiving the money, the state would have had to report higher unemployment.

Cut off Here's a look at how many people will lose unemployment benefits Jan. 10 in select counties. King County: 2,442 Snohomish County: 1,011 Pierce County: 969 Spokane County: 396 Clark County: 389 Statewide: 7,437 Source: state Employment Security Department

The benefit cuts to long-unemployed workers will affect 7,437 people statewide, said Bob Wagner, a research manager with the state Employment Security Department. At the close of 2003, there were 44,200 workers getting some form of extended unemployment benefits and 92,000 to 93,000 workers receiving regular unemployment pay, Wagner said.

Many workers and industry observers say the local economy's gains aren't sufficient to employ the many people who are losing the assistance.

"I don't know if you can say the economy has gotten better," Wagner said. "It's more that the economy hasn't gotten any worse."

Darrell Chapman, the business representative for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 191 in Everett, said the cuts will affect the union, which has about 1,500 members.

	GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES Electrical workers Eric Wilson, left, Mike Bentley, center, and Greg Crediford wait for work last week at an Everett union hall.

Last week, about 40 unemployed electrical workers showed up at the IBEW hall to compete for four jobs. The high turnout and the low degree of opportunity are indicative of how high unemployment is among electrical workers these days.

Chapman said that for much of last year, 20 to 30 percent of the members were unemployed but that many of them were working intermittently on projects. Unemployment among electrical workers here is far higher than it was during much of the 1990s, when the rate was between 2 and 3 percent, he said.

"We're very concerned" about the end of extended benefits, Chapman said.

Donna Thompson, a regional economist for the Employment Security Department, estimated 2003 unemployment in the county averaged 7.5 to 7.7 percent. (Her office will release figures Jan. 20, she said.)

Thompson said the county work outlook is somewhat better, at least psychologically, now that Boeing has agreed to build the 7E7 jetliner in Everett.

"It'll make some difference," she said of the cutbacks in benefits. "It'll make some difference."

Jane Hodges: 425-745-7813 or jhodges@seattletimes.com

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