Back during the legislative session, there was a push to put new restrictions in place on people drawing unemployment benefits. (See prior post HERE, for example.) Now, with reelection campaigns underway, the Dyersburg State Gazette says at least one lawmaker is concerned about the handling of benefits – or lack thereof – for workers who deserve them.
Earlier this week state Rep. Bill Sanderson sent a letter to Gov. Bill Haslam about the challenges residents in his district are facing in trying to communicate with Labor and Workforce Development.
…”I have heard of numerous cases where proud members of this community who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own have requested relief from the State only to be denied after an exhaustive 10-14 week review process,” said Sanderson in his letter dated Oct. 19. “This process should take less time. This is extremely frustrating and only complicates matters for all parties involved.”
Sanderson goes on to state that he believes northwest Tennessee’s best days are ahead of it. A thought that may be supported by the latest unemployment figures and the completion of the Port of Cates Landing, which is bringing with it a renewed hope that the economy in the area will be jump-started.
In terms of unemployment numbers, 11.3 percent of residents in Dyer County reported in September that they are currently unemployed. As critics have pointed out, this does not include the number of individuals that have stopped looking for work or whose benefits have lapsed as is the case for World Color employees. However, the Labor Department’s unemployment figures and job creation data is currently the only method of determining unemployment rates in a particular area.