Immigrant New Yorkers want lawmakers to create an unemployment bridge program.
It would support unemployed workers who are ineligible for state unemployment insurance by establishing a $500 million fund, providing monthly compensation equal to what other workers receive.
Beyond undocumented people, freelancers and self-employed workers would also be eligible.
Sol Freire Figueroa, labor campaigns director with New York Communities for Change, said this will take a lot of political will.
“Right now in the current environment, the immigration conversation has been a topic that not everyone is willing to talk about, or take care of,” said Figueroa. “There are many things the immigrant community needs, and we need the willingness of leadership to stand up for the immigrant community.”
While the program has statewide support from lawmakers, it’s still a budding concept.
A bill establishing the program was brought before the state Legislature, but failed to advance out of committee.
Figueroa said the biggest source of opposition centers around its potential funding source – a digital ad tax from companies with annual gross revenue from these services of $100 million or more.
While the tax is being debated, it’s expected to raise $1 billion for New York, with the unemployment bridge program costing half that.
The program stems from the pandemic-era Excluded Workers Fund which filled a similar role. Figueroa said given how the economy has changed, this program has been a long time coming.
“Considering we’re living in an economy where we have more and more workers accessing jobs like working at Uber, or a delivery worker,” said Figueroa. “They should be able to access this type of benefit as they are putting the hours in, they are putting the work in.”
Once the bill passes the state Legislature and is signed by the governor, Figueroa estimated it could take a year to get the program started.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.