Jobless RI residents share stories about searching for work in state with high unemployment

Jobless RI residents gather for summit

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Eric Briggs followed his father’s footsteps into the military, rising to the rank of Army master sergeant and specializing in heavy equipment. He was forced into retirement after a 30-year military career, then returned to full-time civilian life with a mechanical job at a truck dealership in Avon, Mass.

But the work dried up, and Briggs last month was laid off from his $22-an-hour job, making him among the tens of thousands of unemployed Rhode Islanders. He’s been looking for work since.

“I saw less and less trucks getting sold, and that would mean less and less trucks getting fixed,” said Briggs, 49, of Cumberland. “So basically business started slowing down for them, and I was the junior man. So I could see very soon they were going to call me in the office and lay me off.”

Briggs shared his story Friday at a summit of unemployed residents and their advocates. The summit was the first in Rhode Island organized by Jobs with Justice, a coalition of unions, student groups and others and intended as a sort of support group for the jobless.

Unemployment is a crucial issue in Rhode Island, where the jobless rate for August was 11.8 percent — one of the highest in the nation. The state’s unemployment rate has dipped slightly during the last six months, and the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders dropped in August by 800. Still, the state’s labor force declined by 1,700 compared with July.

“People are feeling hopeless,” Camilo Viveiros, director of Rhode Island Jobs with Justice, told the small group gathered Friday. “This is the first step toward trying to organize, to challenge that.”

A handful of people shared their stories about searching for work, or read letters sent in by others who didn’t attend. One unemployed mother confessed in her letter that she sometimes contemplated putting her children in the care of the state so that they could have a better life.

“We are running out of time to save our family,” said the woman, who was identified only by her initials.

Briggs says he’s filed for bankruptcy, downgraded from a truck to a used car and is focused on keeping his house and helping his 19-year-old daughter afford her pharmacy education in Boston. He keeps a garage open in Cumberland for car and truck repair, charging $20 an hour for service requests.

“Everyone knows how bad it’s getting out there,” Briggs told the group. “Will it turn around and get better? I’m not sure.”