| | Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. | |
| | Author | Message |
---|
KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:04 pm | |
| Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. New York – Roberta Hanson of North Haven, Conn., had been searching for work for 22 months when she landed a part-time job weekend afternoons and nights for a nearby municipal parks and recreation department.
But now Ms. Hanson rues the day she took that work. Why? The Connecticut Department of Labor used her negligible earnings in her part-time job as the new baseline for Hanson's unemployment benefits. She went from receiving $483 a week to getting nothing.
"Afterwards, unofficially, they said I shouldn’t have taken the job," Hanson says.
It's a twist in the law that may affect thousands of other workers, given that the ranks of the long-term unemployed are now so high. Many people who have been out of work for a year are picking up work as temps or part-timers, unaware that state agencies will recalculate their unemployment benefits after a year – and use their most recent work history and pay level to do it.
"What is going on for these workers is that because their most recent wages are much lower than the wages they earned in their prior full-time job, they are facing substantial cuts in their weekly unemployment benefits," says George Wentworth, a consultant at the National Employment Law Project (NELP) in New York.
Benefits recalculated after a year
Most of the people caught in this snag are on Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), a federal program to help those who have exhausted their state benefits. However, after workers have been jobless for 52 weeks, states are required to check to see if a worker has requalified for state benefits. If someone is eligible for state benefits – no matter how small – federal law requires that he or she stop collecting EUC and go back onto state benefits. The states, many with unemployment pools that are borrowing from the federal government, are dramatically reducing the amount paid out to individuals.
Mr. Wentworth cites the example of a Massachusetts woman who had been getting $540 a week in unemployment benefits and, when returned to state benefits, saw her weekly benefit cut to $103. To make matters worse, her husband, also unemployed, saw his benefit drop from $600 a week to $199 a week. Each cut came as a result of having taken a short-term job.
Hanson’s situation is even worse. Connecticut's formula for parttime workers is to take two-thirds of their gross salary (in her case $130 a week, which is $87) and subtract that amount from $39, which would be her weekly benefit based on the parttime job. This gives her a negative $48, or no benefit at all.
“Something is wrong,” Hanson says. “I am allowed to get nothing!”
Temp jobs on the rise
The potential reduction in benefits for parttimers and temps comes as temp services are starting to hire more workers because businesses don’t want to add fulltimers until they're sure the economic recovery is permanent. In February, temporary help services added 48,000 jobs, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Since September, jobs at temp services have risen by 284,000.
In the 1990s, the last time America saw high long-term unemployment among a sizable share of its work force, Congress changed the law to prevent the unemployed from being penalized for taking up parttime work. However, that change expired.
Now, Sen. Jack Reed (D) of Rhode Island is sponsoring legislation to accomplish the same thing today. Senator Reed attached his proposal to a bill that extended several tax provisions, plus farm disaster assistance, unemployment benefits, and COBRA health benefits.
“We need to incentivize people to find work, not unfairly punish folks who were able to find short-term, temporary employment,” said Reed in a statement.
However, the legislative package, which passed the Senate on March 10, is in limbo because the House version is different.
Reed argues that his change could potentially help states, because the long-term unemployed would receive benefits from the US Treasury. Many state unemployment funds are now insolvent and have had to borrow from the US government.
It could also help people like Hanson, who worked for 28 years for a Connecticut social services program that was eliminated. She is trying to support her elderly father as well as herself on her parttime job, credit cards, and Social Security. “I have written everyone from President Obama – from whom I [have] heard nothing back – to my local representative [in Congress], Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D), who is very supportive,” she says. | |
| | | KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:05 pm | |
| we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure. | |
| | | Joebert
Age : 63 Location : @ Computer Hobbies : Sleep/Photography Humor : Seinfeld (show) has it all! Super Powers : Faster than a speeding bulet...is that bad? Number of posts : 3905 pennies : 3262 Rep : 97
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:28 am | |
| - KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. | |
| | | KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:33 pm | |
| - Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt | |
| | | Joebert
Age : 63 Location : @ Computer Hobbies : Sleep/Photography Humor : Seinfeld (show) has it all! Super Powers : Faster than a speeding bulet...is that bad? Number of posts : 3905 pennies : 3262 Rep : 97
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Sat Apr 10, 2010 3:34 am | |
| - KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt Lots and how much would we save if we cut forign aid in half? | |
| | | KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:23 pm | |
| - Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt Lots and how much would we save if we cut forign aid in half? at least half | |
| | | Joebert
Age : 63 Location : @ Computer Hobbies : Sleep/Photography Humor : Seinfeld (show) has it all! Super Powers : Faster than a speeding bulet...is that bad? Number of posts : 3905 pennies : 3262 Rep : 97
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:47 am | |
| - KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt Lots and how much would we save if we cut forign aid in half? at least half Some countries we could just shut off the money pipeline...our money pipeline. | |
| | | KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:36 pm | |
| - Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt Lots and how much would we save if we cut forign aid in half? at least half Some countries we could just shut off the money pipeline...our money pipeline. america first, then we'll see whats left | |
| | | Joebert
Age : 63 Location : @ Computer Hobbies : Sleep/Photography Humor : Seinfeld (show) has it all! Super Powers : Faster than a speeding bulet...is that bad? Number of posts : 3905 pennies : 3262 Rep : 97
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Fri Apr 16, 2010 2:06 am | |
| - KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- Joebert wrote:
- KK wrote:
- we regulate and legislate ourselves to failure.
How much money would we save if we only had 50 senators and a 100 reps? Let a few go and let them loog for real work and get on the Obama health plan. how much would we save if we weren't allowed to write any new debt Lots and how much would we save if we cut forign aid in half? at least half Some countries we could just shut off the money pipeline...our money pipeline. america first, then we'll see whats left We reached the bottom of the money pit and then went deeper (thanks Bush and Obama) but now it's time to tighten our belts and let the countries we support tighten theirs. | |
| | | c/thru
Blurts : What is this decade called ? Location : almost Mile High Hobbies : Freedom Tracker Humor : floating under a delicate layer of apathy Super Powers : can turn water into ice Number of posts : 3049 pennies : 3303 Rep : 123
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Sun Apr 18, 2010 11:54 am | |
| it's time to tax the Churches too !!!! Why can't they pay their share of taxes ? | |
| | | KK
Location : New York Super Powers : poastwhore Number of posts : 8316 pennies : 7853 Rep : 354
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:04 pm | |
| - c/thru wrote:
- it's time to tax the Churches too !!!! Why can't they pay their share of taxes ?
because jews deduct their homes as places of worship. it will never happen | |
| | | Sponsored content
| Subject: Re: Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. | |
| |
| | | | Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits. | |
|
Similar topics | |
|
| Permissions in this forum: | You cannot reply to topics in this forum
| |
| |
| Latest topics | » the last person the person here wins by Admin Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:38 pm
» Interesting stuff by KK Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:54 pm
» Random Stuff... by Jats Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:58 pm
» anyone still here ? by KK Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:01 pm
» Happy Birthday C/Thru!! by Lady Snipe Dragon Fri Jun 03, 2011 12:51 pm
» vintage movie gifs by Jats Thu May 26, 2011 8:46 pm
» Oprah Memorial service by Joebert Wed May 25, 2011 5:54 pm
» Bristol Palin earns $262K for teen pregnancy work by Joebert Wed May 25, 2011 1:31 am
» whatever you feel like by Joebert Tue May 24, 2011 10:21 pm
» Trumped by Joebert Tue May 24, 2011 10:08 pm
» pick a royal wedding hat by Joebert Tue May 24, 2011 10:01 pm
» so which one of you wants to throw down? by KK Thu May 19, 2011 7:37 pm
» the photo of the year's wiki page by alivegenieII Wed May 18, 2011 6:13 pm
» Congratulations on popping C9's flaming & smite war cherry by Lady Snipe Dragon Tue May 17, 2011 11:29 pm
» President 0bama’s approval rating hits a new low by KK Sun May 15, 2011 5:32 pm
» New Books on Ward by alivejeanie Sat May 14, 2011 3:25 pm
» New Holidays ? by Lady Snipe Dragon Mon May 09, 2011 8:50 pm
» Fleamailman, care to explain this ? by c/thru Sun May 08, 2011 10:25 pm
» Happy Mothers Day.. by c/thru Sun May 08, 2011 8:12 pm
» SuperBowl countdown by Guest Sat May 07, 2011 10:14 pm
» International Womens Day 2011 by Guest Sat May 07, 2011 10:06 pm
» wuzz up suckas by KK Sat May 07, 2011 9:40 pm
» INTELLIGENCE REFORM AND TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT of 2004 by KK Sat May 07, 2011 8:39 pm
» Victron Energy and their Portfolios by KK Tue May 03, 2011 7:47 pm
» I voted today by KK Tue May 03, 2011 7:45 pm
» Flax Milk & your omegas by KK Tue May 03, 2011 7:43 pm
» Happy Easter 2011 by Lady Snipe Dragon Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:37 am
» Spanish scientists search for fuel of the future by KK Fri Apr 22, 2011 7:31 pm
» Amen !!! VIP LINKS by KK Fri Apr 22, 2011 7:28 pm
» Youtube changed their type of linking codes.. by c/thru Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:07 pm
» YOU balance the Federal Budget by c/thru Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:05 pm
» Interesting Images.. by c/thru Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:00 pm
» Avacs by KK Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:13 am
» Oil near $112 as attacks damage Libyan oil fields by KK Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:52 am
» Stamp gaffe tears Kate and William apart It may come as a shock, but Kate Middleton and Prince William have 'split' less than one month before they are due to tie the knot. by KK Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:45 pm
|
|