Unemployed may have to work for benefit check.

First, I have no idea if this is really the right forum but, from my point of view this doesn't belong in US Political Madness and not sure if it's really breaking news.

The Metropolitan Tranportation Authority wants to revive its participation in the city's Work Experience Program - which makes the unemployed toil for their benefit checks.

www.nydailynews.com...

I've contemplated such a partial solution myself before and wonder what other people think.

I think it should cover a broader spectrum... making unemployed admin people work one day a week at the unemployment office or making a construction worker do some type of maintenance one day a week... It would get some government work done with no additional cost.

I think it would flush some of those that are just out there on the dole. For those that are legitimately unemployed, it would give them one day a week of feeling contributively productive and might give them the opportunity to learn new skills for their job search.

I notice in the opening paragraph of the article it references those receiving welfare. Not the same thing but the same rules could certainly apply. You'd have to have some of those doing day care work one day a week to make it work though.

reply to post by Scalded Frog
I think its an awesome idea, but more than one day a week. More like two and a half to three days a week. I also think any welfare or benefit recipients should pass a mandatory drug test.We would find out alot more of where our money goes and it would force more people to sober/dry up.

Originally posted by Scalded Frog
First, I have no idea if this is really the right forum but, from my point of view this doesn't belong in US Political Madness and not sure if it's really breaking news.

The Metropolitan Tranportation Authority wants to revive its participation in the city's Work Experience Program - which makes the unemployed toil for their benefit checks.

www.nydailynews.com...

I've contemplated such a partial solution myself before and wonder what other people think.

I think it should cover a broader spectrum... making unemployed admin people work one day a week at the unemployment office or making a construction worker do some type of maintenance one day a week... It would get some government work done with no additional cost.

I think it would flush some of those that are just out there on the dole. For those that are legitimately unemployed, it would give them one day a week of feeling contributively productive and might give them the opportunity to learn new skills for their job search.

I notice in the opening paragraph of the article it references those receiving welfare. Not the same thing but the same rules could certainly apply. You'd have to have some of those doing day care work one day a week to make it work though.

Good idea, but it sucks just the same. Because how will people be able to look for a job if they are spending one or two or three days working for the benefit check.

Unions and their bought and paid for politicians would snuff that out real quick if it ever gained legs. Makes sense but nothing that makes sense is ever done by our government anymore.

reply to post by Scalded Frog

I've contemplated such a partial solution myself before and wonder what other people think.

If you are working then how the heck do you have time to look for a job and go on interviews???
Last time I was job hunting it took up most of my time.

reply to post by Scalded Frog


I don't have a problem with the unemployed on benefits working one day a week for work experience or put themselves through programs that would give them a greater advantage of finding work.

Anything more than a day is just slave labour and the correct wages should be paid and their benefit adjusted accordingly.

reply to post by crimvelvet


I could probably do one day a week without a problem. Why not have these people deliver mail on Saturday. Can't really find jobs on Saturday anyway. Let's face it though, once you become unemployed employers don't want you. They think you are were laid off or fired because of some unknown flaw. Sometimes employers fire because you made a mistake, sometimes you get a crappy boss, sometimes you just didn't fit with the rest of the group, and even less often sometimes the company simply cannot afford you. But these employers would rather hire someone already working. I have been unemployed for nearly 2 years. Thank god for family or I would be on the streets. I worked every day of my life since I was able then BAMM! out of work for 2 years. Guess how many interviews I got so far...I can count them on one hand. I have job search records that total nearly 600 jobs applications filed in the past year.

However, I just want to feel productive again. I would gladly work a day or two for some extra assistance, being that my assistance lasted only a few months and then they cut it off. The economy is improving--not a chance. Sign me up I will gladly take some work within my skill set that I can get a few extra dollars.

As someone who is unemployed, I would agree to work for benefits, as long as it was helping me learn new skills and my employability.

I would not work more than 2 days a week, because then, it is just exploiting cheap labor...how long before the unemployed ranks were intentionally swelled and people were forced to work at less than minimum wage?

Helping people be employable is good. Exploiting unemployed for cheap labor is corrupt and downright evil.

Also, its funny that most people who would support this are the ones always bitching and moaning about "socialism" and "commmunism".....i guess forcing people to work and deciding their wages is just freedom at work, huh?

If you could get 5 people to work 1 day a week for a benefit cheque then you could make 1 person presently employed at a full rate of pay redundant. Then you could place that redundant person onto the unemployed list too and get them working 1 day a week along with four other unemployed people to get another redundant worker to join the ranks. Pretty soon you wouldn't have enough unemployed accountants and bookkeepers to keep track of just how much $$$$ was being saved.

I agree that it could only be one day a week so that you would have enough time to look for work and for a task like cleaning the subway nights or weekends would work just as well.

I don't begin to think this is a solution but with the unemployed getting checks for 99 weeks and governments at every level having to lay off due to budget cuts, it does seem like it might at least make a dent.

reply to post by Scalded Frog


I have to correct this 99 week thing. The only people that get 99 weeks are those at the high end of the payscale like in the $100,000 plus income range. Most workers though are lucky to get a few months. With extensions this can spread out several months to maybe 7 months.

Have been working for 15 years straight. And they want me to work for the money I have already paid them? I have already paid at least 10 times the amount in taxes then I will ever get back from unemployment. IS this a joke ? Your telling me the 400,000k salary people in washington cant come up with a better plan ? Whats the point of paying into the system then ?

Yeah. You see this a lot. People who are already the beneficiaries of a rigged system love to see other people who are less fortunate out there "paying their way." By God, I've paid my way. I've worked since I was f---ing 10 years old; I've paid my dues and someone else's and someone else's.

Being unemployed is hard; it's nasty, demoralizing, frustrating, brain-numbing labor. But even if it were a gay-cruise vacation, it's already paid for and doesn't belong to just any bastard who wants to come along and exploit it for cheap labor.

Seriously, you leeches--kiss my butt!

work for the dole is forced only as an incentive to get the unemployed off benefits as scare tactic or punishment incurred to those of long standing, not as way to increase skillsets or in help to finding any stable position of employment necessary to allow those in need a better opportunity of paid full time employment in the making.

yet goverment can still provide employers under this scheme with incentives such as monetry payments and benefits handed out for the placement of the unemployed through work for the dole positions as required, higher recognition gained to company values and skill mechanisms in place even though not always freely available or necessary to work ethics being performed by the unemployed, as well as opportunity in free labour and unpaid services undertaken by those forced into such programs as work for the dole and other related schemes solely in reguard to cutting down the numbers of the unemployed and getting them off regular payments for being so.

just another add to the waste of resources as incentive hand outs in effect, and placing more pressure on getting the unemployed to succumb to any open job in availability, and not necessarily in choice to what they deem as being suitable or having any long term employment advantage.

wasted program in the guise of free work. might as well go full communist and pay for their housing and food as well provide workers dependency benefits; but work full time.

I believe that a lot of the unemployed would love to work.

So what do you do when there are no jobs?

I am currently on benefits, but doing voluntary work at the moment, trying to stay active and in touch with the real world. I'm doing voluntary work with young people and am now looking at doing a Youth worker course and getting a job in this field.

The problem is being forced to work for your benfits. It works out great for the company that employs you, they dont even have to pay minimum wage. Companies will start sacking their full time employees and when they are put on benefit will give them their old job, just for worse pay. It's one step closer to bringing back the workhouses
en.wikipedia.org... although I imagine there are right wingers who would advocate the workhouse and it's working conditions for the poor, just like the Elitist Victorians in Great Britain.

Soon enough a good 80% of us will be in this situation only by then we'll be doing it full time and instead of wages we'll earn food and housing credits.

Full circle from some monopoly slave labor company store complete with company housing right back to slaving for the company store and company housing.

Some people see a difference between a coal mine company town and a government company town. I don't. I don't get how anyone paying attention could.


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reply to post by earthart


How many times does it have to be said: drug tests for people on welfare are not worth the cost. There was just a big thread on this subject.

I do think that offering unemployed people a chance to build job skills is the right way to go, especially if they are having enough difficulty finding work.

Two problems

1.Injury, who pays? Just because you get an unemployment check doesn’t mean you have medical insurance.

2.Travel expenses, if the check is about half what your wages were, the cost of driving and parking would be an unfair additional burden.