North Carolina Democrats are part of a group calling for a reform of the state’s unemployment system in the wake of federal pandemic unemployment benefits ending. Sen. Wiley Nickel, D-Wake, and advocates from the North Carolina State AFL-CIO and the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center urged the General Assembly on Monday to pass legislation to raise the amount and the duration of unemployment benefits in North Carolina. “The loss of critical federal benefits puts thousands of North Carolina families in jeopardy,” Nickel said during a virtual news conference. “Workers deserve to know that they can rely on the system that they paid into when they’re in crisis. Right now, we’ve got over 200,000 North Carolina families who have federal unemployment benefits that just ended.” The federal program ended Sept. 6. Nickel said it takes away $1,200 from North Carolinians to pay for food and rent each month amid the …https://www.theepochtimes.com/c-us-politics