Lawsuit Filed To Stop State From Ending Additional Federal Unemployment Benefits

On July 1, Oklahomans stopped receiving unemployment benefits in an effort to get people back to work. However, there is a lawsuit to get federal unemployment money restored.

Tuesday, July 13th 2021, 6:14 pm

By: William Blanchette

A Green Country woman is suing the state after Governor Stitt ended additional federal unemployment benefits.

The Biden administration plans to continue the extra $300 per week through September. However, Governor Stitt said it discourages people from getting back to work.

"I think he needs to reinstate what the federal government put in for the people. I had a job at the airport, and when they shut down the airport, I have been unemployed since,” Tulsa resident, Gary Roberts said.

Roberts said he's relied on the extra federal pandemic unemployment benefits since May of 2020 to pay the bills. He said the decision to end it puts him in a difficult spot.

"I am kind of restricted what kind of work I can do,” Roberts said.

"Putting the benefits away, it creates the incentive for people to get back,” University of Tulsa Finance Professor, Eric Olson said.

People stopped receiving the weekly payments at the end of June, but the lawsuit aims to bring them back. Olson said even though ending the payments was meant to encourage people to get back to work, there is still some hesitancy.

"What is tricky right now is, you have some people that are a little uncomfortable to go back to work because they are uncomfortable getting a vaccine,” Olson said.

Tulsa restaurant owner Sean Sylvester said it's been hard to find people to work over the past year. He said the extra benefits are partially to blame.

"After five o'clock, we are kind of struggling at almost all of our locations and it's just people not wanting to get out and work,” Sylvester said.

An Oklahoma county judge will decide on whether or not to block the state from ending those payments.