federal unemployment assistance
Evers vetoes bill that would have cut supplemental unemployment pay
Laid-off Wisconsin workers who qualify will continue to collect $300 in added federal unemployment pay, after Gov. Tony Evers vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have ended the program in the state. The bill (AB-336), which passed the Legislature on party-line votes in both houses, “would eliminate economic assistance for individuals whose employers or occupations have […]
Assembly Republicans vote to cut federal unemployment pay
Over two days this week, from the meeting room of the Legislature’s budget committee to the floor of the state Assembly, lawmakers of both political parties held an extended argument about the government’s role in fostering economic prosperity. Wednesday’s Assembly vote, with all 60 Republicans in favor of a bill ending the $300 federal unemployment […]
Wages, child care and more: Why the labor market isn’t growing
Second of two stories. Part one is here. More than a year ago, Wonderstate Coffee was developing its third Wisconsin café — a location on the Capitol square in Madison. And T.J. Semanchin, the owner of the Viroqua-based coffee roaster and purveyor, was contemplating how to improve the workplace for employees. “We were in the […]
As the pandemic eases, worker shortages grow
First of two stories Many employers desperately seeking workers blame a common culprit: unemployment compensation. In response, Republicans who command the majority in the Legislature have moved to make jobless pay smaller and a little harder to collect. But Democratic lawmakers, along with economic analysts and some other employers, say that the problem is more […]
GOP lawmakers target jobless pay to boost employment
Republican lawmakers and business lobbyists joined Tuesday in calling for an end to supplemental federal unemployment pay in Wisconsin — blaming the $300 weekly extra payments for labor shortages even though employers have said for years they were struggling to find workers. The draft legislation is the second of two steps GOP lawmakers are taking […]
State’s unemployment waiting period back on, delaying added federal benefit
A provision in the new federal COVID-19 relief law extends $300 a week in additional federal unemployment benefits to laid-off workers — but newly unemployed Wisconsin residents must wait a week. The reason: The state’s requirement that workers who lose a job must wait one week before they can receive unemployment insurance (UI) is now […]
Wisconsin jobs come back, but at a slower pace
Unemployment in Wisconsin dipped again in August, but the state still had more than 200,000 fewer jobs than a year ago, according to data released Thursday. Service and hospitality industry jobs continue to be among the hardest hit, a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced restaurants, bars, entertainment spots and other such establishments to […]
Union protest targets Johnson, unemployment supplement
Protesting Sen. Ron Johnson’s opposition to extending a $600 weekly federal supplement to unemployment pay, members of the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH) erected a “living room” outside the Milwaukee federal courthouse on Thursday, where the senator’s Milwaukee office is located. “The $600 a week payment broken down is $15 an hour […]
Trump moves to extend unemployment benefits, suspend payroll taxes after talks break down
President Donald Trump on Saturday circumvented Congress and took action into his own hands, after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations over another coronavirus relief package on Capitol Hill. He signed three presidential memoranda and an executive order, at his private golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Trump would provide $300 per week in federal unemployment assistance with another $100 […]