Jobless Benefits and Low-Wage Workers

Many low-wage workers eligible for unemployment benefits aren’t receiving them, By Jackie Headapohl, April 26, 2010, MLive.com: “A new University of Michigan study suggests that provisions in the economic stimulus fall short of helping low-wage and part-time workers receive unemployment benefits, even when they qualify. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a pool of $7 billion for states that adopted measures to increase eligibility for unemployment insurance. These measures included allowing workers to include recent earnings in their eligibility calculations, expanding eligibility to those who quit for ‘compelling family reasons’ such as domestic violence and enhancing eligibility of part-time workers. A new University of Michigan study suggests that provisions in the economic stimulus fall short of helping low-wage and part-time workers receive unemployment benefits, even when they qualify…”