President Joe Biden signs an executive order at an event in the White House State Dining Room on January 21, 2021.
Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
President Joe Biden ordered federal labor officials Friday to explain when unemployed workers can refuse a job offer and continue to claim unemployment benefits.
A refusal of work usually concludes benefits for workers for workers. But by law, they can refuse unsuitable work – for example, in unsafe working conditions – and still receive help.
There was confusion in the pandemic era about how such rules apply and when Americans can reasonably refuse a job offer. This can apply to safety issues such as mask wear, social distance and disinfection of surfaces at shops, manufacturing plants and offices.
According to an executive order signed Friday, Biden asked the U.S. Department of Labor to “consider explaining that employees who refuse unsafe working conditions can still receive unemployment insurance.”
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By doing so, the order can ensure that unemployed Americans do not have to choose between paying bills and securing their families against Covid-19.
According to the proponents of the workers, the prescription will be the most important for frontline workers and color communities. They have had an excessive number of layoffs since March and are at greater risk of contracting Covid-19.
“I think it really ensures that there is a federal standard for this program and that states cannot handle the security risk of unemployment insurance,” said George Wentworth, senior board member of the National Employment Law Project and a former Connecticut Department official. of Labor.
About 16 million Americans, according to Labor Department data, collected unemployment benefits in early January. This number is likely to grow in the coming weeks.
Different state standards
States establish different rules about what is suitable work when a job offer is made. Trump administration labor officials have postponed state legislation rather than setting a national standard.
“We do not want workers to return to unsafe workplaces,” said Eugene Scalia, head of the U.S. Department of Labor under President Donald Trump, during a Senate hearing in June.
However, safety standards are generally covered by state law, Scalia said at the time.
Republican lawmakers were particularly concerned about the higher incidence of bouncing job offers in the spring and summer when unemployed workers received a $ 600 weekly supplement to benefits. Subsequent research did not provide evidence that the dynamics occurred in the broader economy.
Some state governors may also have confused workers about their rights by making black-and-white statements during the pandemic, Wentworth said.
“If you’re an employer and you offer to bring your employee back to work and they decide not to do so, it’s a voluntary stop,” Iowa Government Kim Reynolds said in April. “Therefore, they will not be eligible for the unemployment benefits.”
Democrats criticized Scalia for failing to provide federal security standards during the pandemic, and generally applauded Biden’s executive order.
“Protecting workers from having to choose between unemployment benefits and unsafe working conditions is a long time coming,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va, said, who is expected to serve as chairman of Congress’ joint economic committee.
The order joins another issued Thursday on workers’ health and safety, which orders the U.S. Department of Labor to issue revised guidance to employers within two weeks.