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Torre was scheduled to work on a major addition to a facility when the economy forced a change of plans.
"The economy was just so bad, they decided they were going to hold off," he said.
Marks said he and Torre are not alone in their plight. Lots of "brothers and sisters" in the union are in the same predicament they are.
What's worse is, soon they may find themselves without work or assistance.
DeLauro blasted the administration in Washington for not being in touch with the concerns of the people. She said President George W. Bush was unaware of the real problems people face and that he feels expanding unemployment benefits would discourage people from working.
"I'm grateful to live in a country that will give me unemployment insurance, but I want to work" said Marks.
DeLauro said the sentiment was one she saw over and over: people desiring employment in a market where unemployment is on the rise. She said they aren't looking for a free ride, they want the security of a regular job at a decent wage. The reality though is in the interim while they search for work, they need assistance.
To help alleviate the economic pressures on the unemployed, DeLauro is advocating a second extension of unemployment benefits to be included in the economic recovery package. The measure is to help protect the 800,000 workers nationwide expected to lose their benefits as October came to a close. Of those, 86,000 are Connecticut residents. By the end of the year it is estimated as many as 1.1 million people will be without a job or unemployment benefits if an extension is not approved.
"This economic crisis demands that we put the concerns of the middle class front and center, and ensure that upward mobility is once again a possibility for all Americans. And we can begin right away by providing immediate relief in the form of unemployment insurance - an important and effective way to boost our economy and provide a safety net for people who have fallen out of work," said DeLauro. "The critical recent action by the federal government to get the credit markets moving again must be coupled with economic recovery measures that confront rising unemployment in the short term, and jumpstart job creation in the long term by investing in our transport and roads, the infrastructure of our economy and new energy."
Perhaps the loudest voice in the room demanding something be done about unemployment benefits was even more concerned about general hiring practices.
Frank Zoni, 63, has been working for temporary agencies for 10 years. Three years ago, a blood clot put him in the hospital against his will, causing him to rack up a mountain of bills. Zoni said his age has created an insurmountable hardship in finding good steady work.
In the past, Zoni worked with radio frequency transmitters. Today those jobs are largely gone and while he said he tells companies all the time that the positions they are hiring for are ones his experience translates to, they aren't listening. According to Zoni, his age is the determining factor.
"Age discrimination is hard to prove but you and I know that it is the reality," said DeLauro.
Zoni said even within the temporary agency he has had problems. One of his last positions was slated to become a permanent position, but he was told the company had a policy against hiring temps for fulltime positions. A week later he was out of a job, replaced by a much younger permanent hire.
A riled up Zoni posed the rhetorical question to DeLauro, "If, when you got out of college, if for all of these years, if every door was slammed in your face; what gutter would you be sleeping in?"
Zoni did say he feels DeLauro herself does a reasonable job trying to fight for the people's rights and benefit. He was however less than happy with Sen. Chris Dodd, saying the Democratic senator had failed to appropriately address the concerns of the workforce and had been "asleep at the wheel" while the banking institutions spiraled toward collapse.
In June, Congress passed legislation providing for 13-weeks of emergency unemployment compensation. DeLauro said the House has approved a seven-week extension however the Senate has as of yet failed to vote on it. Still, she remained hopeful that a workable package could be adopted quickly once the election fervor died down.
DeLauro said, "We are ready to make this happen. I believe we will bring a substantial new economic recovery package for a vote in the House by mid-November. And extending unemployment insurance will be at the heart of it, because it is one of the most-effective and fast-acting ways to stimulate the economy. This is not a handout - it is good economics and it is basic human decency."
