In spring, 2020, CSC started working with a statewide group high school students who are pursuing economic justice. These are students who had been working while in high school. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, they were laid off (in most cases because the business that employed them closed, at least temporarily).
Each of these students had been paying into Minnesota’s unemployment insurance program. However, when they applied for these funds, after being laid off, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development told them they were not eligible!
A statewide campaign began in March, 2020 to deal with this. Here are a few items related to that effort.
- Walter Cortina, one of the high school students affected, wrote this “op ed” column for the St Paul Open Press. “We’ve lost our jobs. Many of us high school students need unemployment benefits to get through this.”
Walter Cortina testifying at the Mn House of Representatives
- KARE 11 – NBC affiliate TV station in Minneapolis/St Paul broadcast this story about some of the students affected
- Column written by CSC Director Joe Nathan that is appearing in a number of suburban/rural Mn newspapers during June, 2020. This is a copy of the column as it appeared in the Caledonia Argus
- Facebook Page explaining the “Don’t Forget Us” campaign that students and their allies created.
- Minnesota House of Representatives “Session Daily” discusses high school students testifying for economic justice