Baker proposes to slash benefits

LYNN – A proposal by gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker of Swampscott would cause 172 Lynn residents to lose their unemployment insurance benefits.According to the state Executive Office of Workforce Development, nearly 12,000 jobless people would be strip-ped of their current benefits if the proposal had been enacted last year. Of those, 676 live on the North Shore.Baker in a June 10 announcement to the Boston Chamber of Commerce unveiled his plan to increase from 15 to 20 the number of weeks a person must work before becoming eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.”In Lynn alone, 172 individuals would have lost their eligibility for benefits,” said Alex Goldstein, a spokesman for Gov. Deval Patrick. “Keep in mind, these are not estimates, they are real people who would have been impacted in 2009 were this proposal to be adopted.”Mary Sarris, executive director of the North Shore Workforce Investment Board, which has job-finding centers in Lynn and Salem, said the proposal would affect 11,207 state residents, if enacted and presuming the change was applied retroactively.”These are people who filed for benefits with less than 20 weeks of employment,” she said.Sarris, who emphasized she does not take sides in such issues, said many Massachusetts residents are likely to conclude that Baker’s idea is a good one.”There are huge numbers of people who want the state to cut back on spending and get out of debt,” Sarris said. “This plan increases by five weeks the amount of time you must hold a job before receiving benefits. But no one has control of when they get laid off.”Data at the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development indicates if the proposal were adopted, it would impact 101 people in Revere, 79 in Salem, 74 in Peabody, 44 in Saugus, 21 in Swampscott, 16 in Marblehead, 12 in Lynnfield and one in Nahant.”There are lots more people unemployed in those communities. The numbers show only those people who did not work 20 weeks before seeking benefits,” Sarris said.Baker also favors lowering unemployment insurance costs for Massachusetts employers with a stable workforce and increasing rates for those who frequently lay off their workers.Baker campaign spokesman Amy Goodrich noted Thursday that 37 states currently require residents to work more than 15 weeks, or to show the equivalent, before collecting unemployment insurance. Massachusetts is one of only two states that require just 15 weeks of work, she said.”Charlie Baker is the only candidate in this race with real plans to create jobs and this proposal is one of many we have outlined to create a stable, competitive and predictable business climate where businesses will grow here,” Goodrich said. “Massachusetts has to do better and we have to get our economy on track so we can create jobs and move in the right direction and we can’t do that by maintaining the status quo.”