Fall River, Massachusetts "Not Seasonally Adjusted" Jobless Rate In February 2014: 14.5 Percent

Nine major Massachusetts cities had “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rates in February 2014 that exceeded the national “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for that month of 7 percent, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data:

1. The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate in Fall River, Massachusetts was 14.5 percent in February 2014;

2. The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Lawrence, Massachusetts was 13.7 percent in February 2014;

3. The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate in New Bedford, Massachusetts was 13.2 percent in February 2014;

4. The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Springfield, Massachusetts was 10.4 percent in February 2014;

5. The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate in Brockton, Massachusetts was 8.3 percent in February 2014;

6. The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Pittsfield, Massachusetts was 8 percent in February 2014;

7. The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate in Worcester, Massachusetts was 7.8 percent in February 2014;

8. The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Lowell, Massachusetts was 7.7 percent in February 2014; and

9. The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Lynn, Massachusetts was 7.5 percent in February 2014.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate in Boston, Massachusetts in February 2014 was still 5.8 percent in February 2014.

In addition, in Massachusetts between March and April 2014, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s April 17, 2014 press release:

“…Professional, Scientific and Business Services lost 2,100 (-0.4%) jobs over the month…Construction lost 900 (-0.7%) jobs over the month….Manufacturing lost 300 (-0.1%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Manufacturing lost 800 (-0.3%) jobs. Financial Activities lost 200 (-0.1%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Financial Activities lost 600 (-0.3%) jobs…”

In February 2014, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data, 237,900 workers in Massachusetts were still unemployed. 

Black Worker Unemployment Rate Increases to 12.4 Percent in March 2014

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all Black workers (youth, male and female) increased from 12 to 12.4 percent between February and March 2014, according to recently released Bureau of Labor Statistics data; while the total number of unemployed Black workers increased by 82,000 (from 2,237,000 to 2,319,000) during the same period.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black female workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 9.9 to 11 percent between February and March 2014; while the unemployment rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 12.1 percent.

In addition, between February and March 2014 the number of Black female workers over 20 years-of-age who still had jobs decreased by 92,000 (from 8,646,000 to 8,554,000); while the number of unemployed Black female workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 112,000 (from 948,000 to 1,060,000) during the same period.

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age in the United States increased from 32.4 to 36.1 percent between February and March 2014; while the number of Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age who still had jobs decreased by 12,000 (from 425,000 to 413,000) during the same period. In addition, between February and March 2014 the number of unemployed Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased by 29,000 (from 204,000 to 233,000).

The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 21.3 percent in March 2014; while 220,000 Latino youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age were still unemployed during that same month.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 18.3 percent in March 2014; while the number of unemployed white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased by 23,000 (from 807,000 to 830,000) between February and March 2014.

In March 2014, the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 20.9 percent; while the total number of unemployed youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased by 20,000 (from 1,173,000 to 1,193,000) between February and March 2014..

The official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latina female workers over 20 years-of-age was still 8.4 percent in March 2014; while the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Latino workers (male, female and youth) in the United States was still 7.9 percent during that same month. In addition, the official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 6.9 percent in March 2014.

In March 2014, the official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Asian-American workers was still 5.4 percent; while the “not seasonally adjusted” number of unemployed Asian-American workers was still 480,000 during that same month.

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 5.3 percent in March 2014; while the jobless rate for white female workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 5.1 to 5.3 percent between February and March 2014. In addition, the number of white female workers over 20 years-of-age who still had jobs decreased by 225,000 (from 51,822,000 to 51,597,000) between February and March 2014; while the total number of unemployed white female workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 98,000 (from 2,813,000 to 2,911,000) during the same period.

The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all female workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 5.9 to 6.2 percent between February and March 2014; while the official unemployment rate for all male workers over 20 years-of-age was also still 6.2 percent in March 2014. In addition, the total number of unemployed male workers over 20 years-of-age was still 5,636,000 in March 2014; while the official jobless rate for all male workers over 16 years-of-age was still 6.8 percent during that same month..

In March 2014, the official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all U.S. workers (male, female and youth) was still 6.7 percent; while the official total  number of unemployed workers in the United States increased by 27,000 (from 10,459,000 to 10,486,000) between February and March 2014.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April 4, 2014 press release:

 “…The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7 percent…In March, the number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 10.5 million…Both measures have shown little movement since December 2013…Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult women increased to 6.2 percent in March…

 “The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more), at 3.7 million, changed little in March; these individuals accounted for 35.8 percent of the unemployed…The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 7.4 million in March. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find full-time work.

 “In March, 2.2 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, little changed
from a year earlier…These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

“Among the marginally attached, there were 698,000 discouraged workers in March… Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…

“Employment in government was unchanged in March. A decline of 9,000 jobs in federal government was mostly offset by an increase of 8,000 jobs in local government, excluding education. Over the past year, employment in federal government has fallen by 85,000. 

“Employment in other major industries, including manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail
trade, transportation and warehousing, information, and financial activities, changed
little over the month…

“…In March, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees edged down by 2 cents to $20.47….”

Australian Anti-War Activist Joan Coxsedge's March 30, 2014 Letter

The following letter from Australian anti-war and Latin American solidarity activist Joan Coxsedge—who is also a former member of the Victoria state parliament--originally appeared in an Australian-Cuban solidarity group’s newsletter).

March 30, 2014

"Dear Comrades,                                                                                                                                         

 "Where to start? Once upon a time we lived in a fair brown land. Most of it’s still brown and used to be fair, or so we thought, but today it’s like living in a nightmare with right-wing sell-out merchants supposedly representing us in parliament handing over their authority to the privateers and flogging off everything not nailed to our shrinking floorboards. Don’t these nincompoops know that once our public assets are sold, they’re gone for all time?  Kaput!  No money coming in to government coffers while costs to mug punters like us go through the roof and basic maintenance goes down the drain along with any public accountability. Look what happened to our once-great SEC, Gas and Fuel, public health system and Board of Works. Buggered. Now it’s Medibank’s turn. Off to the private knackery leading us ever closer to what passes for health care in the US of A. Despite keeping other health providers in line and returning healthy annual profits, these certifiable lunatics are planning to build roads from the sale of our assets, when we are screaming out for decent public transport and decent public everything else.  In the meantime Lords and Ladies, climate change is upon us.

" Last week my friend Tony Benn died. Loved by many, loathed by the establishment, Tony never stopped fighting for socialism, for unions, for his constituents and anything to do with peace and justice. An eloquent speaker, he often expressed disgust at the moral vacuity of Britain’s Labour Party that he believed had lost its way. He loathed Tony Blair but never left the party, spending the last years of his life on internationalism, solidarity, equality and anti-war activities.  Another fine man died suddenly in England at almost the same time. Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) was only 52. A dedicated socialist and militant champion of workers, Bob Crow worked tirelessly to improve their lot.  A passionate voice for safety on the railways and for those who worked on them, he never held back from calling a strike.  Like Tony Benn, Bob Crow was demonised by the right-wing press.

" A different kind of man altogether, Barack Obama, who’s been in power long enough to do something worthwhile, but hasn’t. People are asking, what’s his presidency for? If there was a plot, he’s lost it. If there was a point, few know what it is. The gap between rich and poor and white and black have grown during his tenure, Guantanamo is still open and bankers continue making obscene profits. In December, he pursued whistleblower Edward Snowden and kept another, Chelsea Manning, in the clink while he told the crowd at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, presumably with a straight face: ‘There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people.’  Putin must be wondering who he’s dealing with. The Americans promised Gorbachev they wouldn't take NATO into Eastern Europe, but they did. They withdrew from the ABM treaty and then did a deal with Poland to deploy anti-ballistic missile bases on Poland’s border with Russia claiming their purpose was to protect Europe against terrorists when anyone with half a brain knows they are directed at Russia. They support terrorists in Chechnya, trained and equipped the Georgian military and gave it the green light to attack Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Washington financed ‘colour revolutions’ in Georgia and Ukraine and hope to do so in the Russian Federation itself. Every single day, they are busily expanding NATO training forces, building bases and making deals.

"In the real world of Washington, politicians look more like impotent idiots compared with their real masters, the spooks and the spies who shuffle the deck and deal the cards and hide their violent intrigues behind bland initials - the CIA and NSA. The Soviet Union imploded in 1991 and their careers (built on anti-communism) looked headed for extinction when 9/11 came along and saved their bacon. The CIA embraced global torture and officialdom looked the other way.  The men in black plucked ‘terrorists’ off the Arab street and shipped them off to less fussy countries where US agents could use medieval methods to inflict pain and punishment, techniques prohibited by US law.  CIA operatives even taped the cruelty for their archives. They might have got away with it except some computer geeks blew the doors off government secrecy. Once again, where was Mr President in all this? He didn’t fire the CIA or NSA chieftains even though both had lied to Congress and everyone else.  He didn’t launch a seriously independent inquiry nor does he seem to understand that responsibility lies squarely with him.  Why isn’t he angry?  Because he knows he’s vulnerable to reprisal. The spies know what he knows and can always make use of it.  This is the core of the game played by the intelligence establishment and it didn’t start with Barack Obama. As the agencies take the White House ever deeper into the black box, it becomes harder for a president to dissent.  It’s easy to see that western-style democracy is like religion, a ritual declaration that means bugger-all.

"I’ll leave the last word to Vladimir Putin who commented a few weeks ago: ‘I sometimes get the feeling that somewhere across the huge puddle, in America people sit in a lab and conduct experiments as if with rats, without actually understanding the consequences of what they are doing.’

"Joan Coxsedge"