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National and state unemployment insurance data show initial claims return to pre-COVID-19 levels
The release of national weekly unemployment insurance claims data shows that initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) are 92 percent lower than this time last year in North Carolina. The continued decline week-over-week similarly points to the continued improvements in the labor market and the important role UI plays in ensuring jobless workers stay engaged […]
High unemployment and loss of federal assistance continue to plague NC workers
This morning the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest weekly data on Unemployment Insurance claims, showing that jobless workers continued to make initial claims for UI in North Carolina at elevated levels. More than 13,000 initial claims were filed the week of September 12th, compared to 3,000 initial claims in the same week last […]
Lawmakers, workers, advocates call for NC to rebuild its unemployment system
North Carolina lawmakers, workers, and advocates gathered for a virtual press conference yesterday to call for the General Assembly to move forward with changes to North Carolina’s unemployment insurance (UI) system. Even before the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, North Carolina long provided the worst UI in the nation, offering too little in benefits […]
STATEMENT FROM THE NC JUSTICE CENTER: It is immoral, irrational, and unacceptable to hold our nation hostage over building a border wall
RALEIGH (January 8, 2019) – President Trump’s speech tonight sought to further hold our nation hostage over the building of a useless, massively expensive, and politically fabricated border wall – one that few want, security experts agree wastes our time and resources, and further divides our country before construction even begins. The government shutdown over […]
President Trump’s proposal to “improve” border security and enforcement attacks the immigrant community
President Donald Trump took immediate and counterproductive steps on Day 6 of his administration to appease the hateful, anti-immigrant faction among his supporters by announcing immediate and rapid changes to U.S. border security and immigration enforcement. Expanding the use of local law enforcement as a tool for mass deportations of immigrants runs counter to our […]
Statement from the NC Justice Center on the shootings and protests in Charlotte
Our hearts remain heavy in the wake of the shootings and protests in our state one week ago. There are still many things we don’t know about the tragic events in Charlotte. What we do know is that — regardless of specifics — the deaths of Keith Lamont Scott, Terence Crutcher, Tyre King, and countless […]
Gov. McCrory’s Executive Order does little to correct the multiple harmful impacts of HB2
Statement from Rick Glazier, Executive Director of the NC Justice Center Gov. McCrory called on lawmakers yesterday to reverse part of House Bill 2, but unfortunately his Executive Order fails to fix or recommend fixing most of the extremely damaging provisions of this toxic legislation. It is essentially a “do nothing” order. Because of House […]
Discriminatory HB2 is a shameful, restrictive mark on North Carolina’s history that will hurt our state’s residents and economy
Statement from Rick Glazier, Executive Director of the NC Justice Center Yesterday will go down as a shameful day in North Carolina’s history, as lawmakers prioritized misguided discrimination above the freedoms of our local government, safety of residents, and very decency that until recently has guided our state’s success. In less than 12 hours, the […]
With “3 ½ Minutes,” documentary film highlights timely and painful issue
On November 23, 2012, 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed in Jacksonville, Florida, by Michael Dunn, who was subsequently charged with – and eventually convicted of – first-degree murder. The altercation began with music being played too loud in the parking lot of a gas station and ended with the death of a young […]
New report: Economic recovery has made no dent in NC poverty
Study finds state has higher rates of deep poverty and child poverty than majority of U.S. Poverty in North Carolina either climbed or stayed steady from 2007 to 2013, despite the economic recovery, according to a new report from the Budget & Tax Center, a project of the NC Justice Center. Both North Carolina’s off-kilter […]
The Tax Shift: Share your story on how tax changes have affected your quality of life
State legislative leaders said tax plan changes were supposed to help most North Carolinians, while groups like the Budget & Tax Center cast skepticism at those claims, predicting that the average North Carolinians would see their share of the tax load increase as the richest in the state enjoyed tax breaks. So what happened in […]
BTC Report: Gov. McCrory’s budget choices will shape North Carolina’s future
Governor McCrory’s budget is anticipated as early as this week. The choices made in this budget will either allow the state to help rebuild pathways to economic opportunity or continue to reroute badly needed resources for that endeavor to the state’s wealthiest taxpayers and companies, said a new report from the Budget & Tax Center, […]