I Just Had To File For Unemployment And WOW I'm Surprised At How Little Incentive There Is To Work

beejmi · Aug 26, 2012

Background. I have a felony from 25 years ago (aggravated assault) Have had a decent career in retail/food management but once we got into the electronic age and background checks I haven't been able to find anything that pays the bills and provides insurance.

I'm the king of the multiple part time job. Have worked three jobs for the past year and a half. Was managing a pizza place for the past year. It closed. I am down to two part-time jobs. Filed for unemployment and got everything back this weekend.

Basically I was making $600 a week at the pizza place and the part-time jobs were providing another $350

My unemployment "number" is $475 a week. Roughly half of what my earnings "were". I can make up to 40% of that number without the $475 being touched. Roughly I can make $200 a week part-time.

At which point they would cut into the benefit amount. Is that right? So if I maintain the part-time schedule I have been doing I get penalized?

For those curious UC now runs 26 weeks. I am nervous about that. Not about finding "a job" just finding one that pays the bills.

I had a vacation planned for the first week of September. Should I just take it anyway? This was all planned before the pizza place closed down. I kind of need it. The three job for a year and a half has worn on me.

seanm0520 · Aug 26, 2012

How were you able to get unemployment? What was your reasoning? (I promise I am in no way being a dick, I'm very curious because I had to quit a job due to sexual harassment, the lawyers didn't take me up on it, and now I've been unemployed. I'm a full-time graduate student but don't want to live off loans.)

beejmi · Aug 26, 2012

The owner of the pizza place just decided to close it. Falls into the "lost employment due to no fault of your own" category.

I'm just surprised that working additional hours at a part-time jobs is "discouraged".

bigbet1234 · Aug 26, 2012

We have so many free loaders "government made" in US it is pathetic. I was working at 13 years old, you rarely find that shit any more, and I am only 37. pathetic.

bigbet1234 · Aug 26, 2012

Everyone feels entitled to a freebie, and what sickens me is I have them in my own family. I can understand falling on hard times. Hell, I remember my Dad busting his ass at 2 jobs, he must have lost a job a year, unemployment, I remember sitting at the table with him while he was looking for jobs in the paper. Hard worker he was, won't find many of them around any more, everyone looking to get over on some one, or sue them for stupid shit

beejmi · Aug 26, 2012

I am surprised by how much my weekly allowance is.

I can see why people don't take jobs for $8/9/10 an hour though.

There really isn't much out there in all honesty besides the $8/9/10 an hour jobs though. I'm concerned about that. I'm more concerned about "six months from now" than now.

Bruins4Life · Aug 27, 2012

Don't you pay into the unemployment fund? I see nothing wrong with using help you have already paid for, when you need it.

SundayTiger · Aug 27, 2012

beejmi said:
I am surprised by how much my weekly allowance is.

I can see why people don't take jobs for $8/9/10 an hour though.

There really isn't much out there in all honesty besides the $8/9/10 an hour jobs though. I'm concerned about that. I'm more concerned about "six months from now" than now.

Go wait tables. You make mostly cash and pay very little taxes. The waiters at my GF's Dads place make $50-$60K a year here in DC.

buddyboy · Aug 27, 2012

Don't you pay into the unemployment fund? I see nothing wrong with using help you have already paid for, when you need it.

no, employees do not pay unemployment insurance.
employers pay those premiums.

unemployment shouldn't be looked upon as an emergency savings account that anyone that has ever gotten a paycheck can tap into.

if you lose your job and AFTER looking for a new job, and cannot find one, and your prospects don't look good, you could consider filing a claim.

good luck

bigbet1234 · Aug 27, 2012

Empolyers pay it, empolyees don't

Bruins4Life said:
Don't you pay into the unemployment fund? I see nothing wrong with using help you have already paid for, when you need it.

WorldNumberOne · Aug 27, 2012

I'm surprised that you're surprised... This country is in serious trouble..

bigbet1234 · Aug 27, 2012

I agree, but abuse is running rampant. Like the OP said, too much incentives to NOT look for work

buddyboy said:
no, employees do not pay unemployment insurance.
employers pay those premiums.

unemployment shouldn't be looked upon as an emergency savings account that anyone that has ever gotten a paycheck can tap into.

if you lose your job and AFTER looking for a new job, and cannot find one, and your prospects don't look good, you could consider filing a claim.

good luck

bigbet1234 · Aug 27, 2012

This

SundayTiger said:
Go wait tables. You make mostly cash and pay very little taxes. The waiters at my GF's Dads place make $50-$60K a year here in DC.

beejmi · Aug 27, 2012

Well I'm not going to cut back the hours I work part-time. There is incentive to do such but to me that's a difficult discussion with my employers.

I can't imagine the "99 week" thing though with the people that did that.

Bruins4Life · Aug 27, 2012

bigbet1234 said:
Empolyers pay it, empolyees don't

Did not know this. In Ontario, workers pay into the fund as well.

Hotpizza · Aug 27, 2012

$475 a week ends up being $11.875 an hour. No wonder people don't want to go back to work. I did some research on this and $475 a week is over double the maximum amount you can receive in MS which is $230 and nearly double of what you can receive in Arizona which is $240. These are the max amounts by the way. I find it hard to believe someone can live on $6 or less per hour in these two states.

Something that hasn't been answered is about your "vacation", hell no. It's one thing to take a vacation and not be on the system but to take one while on it, is just criminal in my book. Not being a dick here but you need to save that money for the possibility of not getting another job.

There are people on this board that I have read have been out of work 2 years + and the job market is horrible. 8% unemployment is so wrong it's more like 24%.

Save your money, vacations can be taken later in life when you have stabile income and bills are gone.

I would guess you are in California with that amount of benefit, it's a crime they pay out so much when other states pay so litte and I don't care about cost of living yada yada.

Good luck.

TomGshotput · Aug 27, 2012

buddyboy said:
no, employees do not pay unemployment insurance.
employers pay those premiums

Having an employer pay into unemployment programs is part of your compensation for working at the job. If the program was not in place, profits and wages would both be higher

Then when someone does lose their job they'll already have the extra cash in savings

buddyboy · Aug 27, 2012

Having an employer pay into unemployment programs is part of your compensation for working at the job. If the program was not in place, profits and wages would both be higher

with this logic any business expense can be looked upon as employee compensation.

this compensation should also be taxed.

everyone should pay their fair share, even if they can't afford it.

TomGshotput · Aug 27, 2012

buddyboy said:
with this logic any business expense can be looked upon as employee compensation.

Absolutely not. Bagels and coffee in the break room is. New floors in the building every 10 years is not

this compensation should also be taxed.

Unemployment benefits are taxed

Hotpizza · Aug 27, 2012

Let's not forget to mention if you win a contest and win gift cards or say a TV, you are paying tax on it now. Bonuses are taxed at a higher rate, hence why most employers issue a separate payment for the bonus. In the old days they would lump in your bonus at your tax rate and that was it. Then the government became even more greedier than they already have become.

I can go on a long tangent about this topic, it just strikes such a bad nerve.

I Just Had To File For Unemployment And WOW I'm Surprised At How Little Incentive There Is To Work

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