They are, to paint with a very broad brush, folks who all worked in food service, retail, or other front-line sales industries. The forced time off last year made them realize they were killing themselves for not very much money, and they're refusing to go back to those employers.
But it's the $300 in weekly payments that is stopping people from returning to work, if you ask business owners in the area.
There is currently a wild and IMMENSE disconnect from worker attitudes to beliefs about worker attitudes, and I don't know why.
Largely because business owners are pushing the "$300/month is making everybody lazy" narrative. There doesn't appear to be much evidence it's true, at least not to the extend business owners would have us believe.
My MIL was laid off from a university job at the beginning of the pandemic and her UI ran out a looong time ago. The only reason she even collected it for as long as she did was because nobody is hiring elderly women.
If they are worth their salt they should be fighting for you.
Everytime my family or friends have trouble with federal or state government we contact our representative and let his office go fight on our behalf. It's part of what they're elected for. Hopefully your experience with your representative is a good one.