On March 25, U.S. Senate Republicans voted unanimously to deny the extension of federal Unemployment Insurance benefits for six more months. There were 51 Republicans who voted against it and 48 Democrats who voted for the measure.

Since that time, organized labor has kept up pressure on Congress to extend the benefits. But at press time, no action had been taken, and the funding for the emergency jobless benefits program that has been paying for federal benefits is due to expire May 31.

"It is imperative that Congress not abandon long-term unemployed workers by ending the emergency jobless benefits program when it expires on May 31," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "And, Congress must move a real program to create jobs and strengthen the economy - not unfair and unaffordable tax and budget policies."

Sweeney pointed out that in the $550 billion Republican tax-cut package, there is no help in sight for the one million long-term unemployed Americans who have exhausted their state and federal benefits.

The Labor Department reported that the nation's unemployment rate jumped to 6 percent again in April, tying a high it set last November and December. Before that time, the last time the unemployment rate reached 6 percent was in July 1994. Another 341,000 people joined the jobless rolls in April.

There were 8.78 million unemployed in April - that's 2.83 million more jobless workers than when President Bush took over the White House in January 2001.