Seasonal employees would no longer be permitted to collect unemployment in their industry’s “offseason” under legislation recently introduced by Assembly Republicans Amy H. Handlin and Sean T. Kean in an effort to help the unemployment fund, businesses and property taxpayers.
“This bill preserves the unemployment safety net for seasonal workers who lose their job during the season and frees property taxpayers from paying for the year-round benefits when seasonal employees aren’t working,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said. “It will make the state’s unemployment insurance fund more secure while eliminating an unnecessary expense for businesses and property taxpayers.”
The legislation, would eliminate the payment of unemployment benefits to seasonal employees. The state’s Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner would have the authority to designate which industries and occupations are seasonal and determine the length of each season. Seasonal industries would be defined as ones that operate during a regular period of less than 36 weeks per year.
“Individuals who work in a truly seasonal industry know that the work will not continue past a certain time. Therefore, it makes sense to end seasonal workers’ unemployment benefits,” Kean, R-Monmouth and Ocean, said. “This is a common sense measure that will save taxpayers and help the state’s unemployment insurance fund.”
The proposal was recommended by Governor Christie’s Unemployment Insurance Task Force, which is working to achieve long-term fiscal stability of the state’s unemployment insurance fund. Many local officials, especially those representing shore communities, have endorsed reforming seasonal unemployment insurance, including Dina Long, the Mayor of Sea Bright, where property taxpayers spend thousands of dollars per quarter to pay for unemployment insurance benefits for lifeguards during winter months.
“This is a good government reform that will help ease the local property tax burden in small communities like Sea Bright, where every dollar counts,” Long said. TLS.
Before the Democrats and liberals start saying that Republicans want to take away precious unemployment benefits for nebach the unemployed, let me explain what the issue is:
What’s happening now is that lifeguards work only in the summer months, and then lazy around the rest of the year collecting unemployment. They don;t even bother to try to get a job for the winter months.
This new bill from the Republicans and Governor Christie will ensure that these lifeguards don’t rip off the system.
If you’re entire “season” of your work is less than 36 weeks per year (like lifeguards), you are not entitled to unemployment for those months that are not part of your “season”.
Of course, if they become unemployed during their “season”, they will still get their unemployment like everyone else.
This is a great bill, and long overdue, especially for the Jersey Shore communities that pay so much unemployment compensation to these lifeguards for most of the year.
THIS is the kind of work we are looking for in the Legislature!
so now instead of unemployment they have to find another “seasonal” job that dosent exist to make ends meet. i guess the only thing for them to do is apply for welfare!
P.S. we should make politicians jobs seasonal! i bet we save a lot of money there too!
This law if passed, will also hurt people like me who are partly disabled. I have worked a seasonal Job for years with a disability when no one. Else would hire me because I have health issue. I really do no
t want to go back to collecting SS. I believe this law if passed would put more people on warefare especially people that are handicapped or parcial
This bill if passed will put people such as myself who are partly disable and do want to work but cannot Find a job because of a disability. I have been turn down because of my disabllity. And yes who wants to hire a person who back and legs can go out anytime. I have worked my seasonal job for years and because of them I do not have to go back on disability.
I believe if this bill goes into effect people like me well also be hurt. The system. Will be filled with more people getting on warefare of filing for disability.