My employer doesn’t believe in laying off workers!

[B Calm]

Last week I worked two days. This week so far I have two and a half hours in.

It's really slow right now at work, and the last thing they'll do is have a layoff. They just as soon work you one or two days a week to keep from paying unemployment. They don't care if you starve.

The BUSH ECONOMIC EXPANSION SUCKS!

[BearSquirrel2]

1. I assume this still counts as 1 job ...

I assume your cut hours still count as 1 job. Just another way that the Bush administration is dickering with the numbers. "Jobs" should be prorated according to working hours. If you work an average 20hrs per week ... that's 1/2 a job. If you're working 60 hours on an hourly beat ... that's 1.5 jobs.

[Gman]

2. Exactly. It's all about their unemployment insurance

However, I believe that in most, if not all states, a worker's unemployment benefits are based on the reason he/she left their last employer which is not necessarily their last employer that paid unemployment benefits. That difference means that you can quit this job, go to work for someone mowing grass, or washing dishes or washing their car. Once the job is done, there is no more work and you are technically laid off for lack of work. Then when you file your unemployment claim, the last employer he/she worked for that paid unemploymnent insurance is hit for the claim, because they pay the insurance. They will no doubt protest. However, the protest can only be over whether or not they should be hit with your claim, not the reason you left your last job because they were not your last job. The worker should get their unemployment because they were laid off from their last job.

Make sense?

[Winterblues]

3. Theyu don't pay unemployment, the state does and it comes out of your check.

:shrug: It is lousy economy not unemployment worries..

[Gman]

4. Not in all states and definitely not for federal unemployment

Who pays state UI may vary from state to state. But only companies pay federal UI (called FUTA or Federal Unemployment Tax (Act?))

Unemployment insurance has nothing to do with other taxes you and the company equally pay such as Social Security and Medicare.

[Winterblues]

5. If you don't think I take into consideration how much I have to pay

per employee for unemployment insurance you are kidding yourself. You are correct in that it doesn't show on your pay stub like FUTA and SS and Medicare and Fed Withholding but it most definitely comes out of the person's check in my calculations on how much their hourly wage will be..As does Workman's comp insurance...It all figures in..

[Mugu]

12. It's obvious that you have never had employees.

Unemployment checks may be written by the state, but the money comes from the employer. If there are no claims against an employer for some period of time then the rates go down. But even one claim and the rates go back up for a very long time. That's the reason that employers contest claims, if they didn't have to pay they wouldn't care.

Regards, Mugu

[Warpy]

6. It sounds like they don't want to lose a trained workforce

and that's incredibly rare these days.

It would be a lot cheaper to give you a pink slip.

[B Calm]

7. How would it be cheaper to lay employees off?

It's true thay want to retain their skilled workers.

[Warpy]

11. No wages, no insurance, no bonds, no OASDI, no figuring out taxes

It's cheaper to have one employee killing himself working double shifts than two employees working standard hours.

Ask hospitals....

[B Calm]

13. Not laying people off as they are doing now by just working you

a couple days a week, wouldn't you think they are saving money in higher unemployment costs?

[Warpy]

15. They don't pay unemployment insurance

the state does. It's generally a deduction from the employee's check.

[onethatcares]

8. if that is the case, you should be able

go to the unemployment office and show them your paystub, but you have to be off work or substantially lowered in the hours you normally work. Where by chance are you located?

[B Calm]

14. Indiana

[NiteOwll]

9. In my state

you can still qualify for Partial Unemployment Benefits if you're working less than full-time because of a lack of work at your regular job.

[elehhhhna]

10. Yep! Call your state's DOL or unemployment commission...

cutting you from 40 hours to 2 does not generally prevent your unemployment claim.