As The Clock Runs Out On $300 Unemployment Benefits, A New Orleans Waitress Is Left In Limbo
Dora Whitfield poses for a portrait outside of her home in New Orleans, Friday, July 2, 2021. Whitfield volunteers her time educating workers on the benefits of unions and advocates for unemployment reform.
When Dora Whitfield bought her house in 2014, she and her husband were so giddy they invited a caravan of family members over to see the place.
It was a hard-earned present she was able to afford because of her job as a buffet waitress at Harrah’s Casino. When Whitfield purchased the three-bedroom home in New Orleans, she broke free from 30 years of living in public housing.
These days, she is praying she does not lose it altogether.
When the pandemic struck, she was laid off and has been getting by on unemployment benefits ever since. Now, the additional federal unemployment benefits that helped her will soon disappear. Louisiana is ending the $300 weekly payments on July 31, following the lead of states like Alabama and Mississippi who cut off the checks in June in hopes of driving up job applications for businesses desperate for workers.
But for Whitfield, returning to work and her pre-pandemic life is not so simple. She is not sure her old job will be restored. If she looks for work elsewhere, she risks not making as much money as she would have earned from her hourly wages and tips at Harrah’s.
“Oh Lord, what should I do?” Whitfield said. “Should I get up with these bad knees and walk around Walmart? Or should I wait on the casino to call?”
Read the full story from our partners at New Orleans Public Radio here.
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Birmingham, Ala., WWNO in New Orleans and NPR.
Local health officials plan to increase monkeypox vaccinations
Health officials will soon begin offering intradermal vaccinations, reaching more people with less vaccine.
Combating gun violence remains a top focus of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As violent crime in Birmingham and the surrounding area continues to increase, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Prim Escalona, uses a variety of tools and strategies to get firearms and bad guys off the street.
Some 3rd graders in local schools could be held back under new law
This is the first school year that third graders who do not read at grade level by the end of the school year must be held back in that grade, rather than passed on to fourth grade. The Alabama Literacy Act was passed several years ago, but its implementation was delayed because of the pandemic.
How one Birmingham custodian preps for the first day of school
When the kids are away, the custodial and maintenance staff in schools work all summer long. One custodian told WBHM about what it takes to keep the kids happy and healthy as they trade sunshine for fluorescent lights.
Dollar store workers are organizing for a better workplace. Just don’t call it a union.
Fired up by a labor movement that’s seen big union victories recently, dollar store workers are organizing in their own way to improve work conditions.
Bill Clark has a knack for making comebacks. Will he make one more?
Bill Clark has had to overcome some serious hurdles during his career at UAB, as well as in his personal life. He not only resurrected a football program that had been neglected—and then out-right killed—he’s also been fighting through what he’s called a serious injury since childhood.
