Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-05-18
Strike Compensation
Controlled by States
Congress Left to States Question
of Unemployment Payments
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If the coal miners in Pennsylvania
walk out again after the present truce"
ends on May 25, they will again become
eligible for unemployment compensa-
tlcn. Many of the Pennsylvania miners
stayed out when the truce went into
effect last Monday on fears, evidently
groundless. that if they went back. they
would again have to be idle for six
weeks before again becoming eligible
Whether and under what conditions
strikers are eligible for unemployment
compensation is entirely the affair of
the individual State. When the Social
Security Act was adopted in 1885, Con-
gress left the unemployment compensa-
ton feature largely to State action. 1t
is true that the payroll tax of per cent
on employers was made a Federal levy,
but 80 per cent of this was to be can
celed in favor of the States after these
imposed their own taxes and adopted
plans meeting the Federal standards.
Most States have taken advantage Of
the provision in the Federal act which
allows them to reduce the tax on indi-
Vidual employers with good employ
ment record Many States have made
their unemployment compensation laws
more liberal than the Federal act
Changes in the unemployment COM
pensatlon system are the subject OF
hearings scheduled to resume on Mon
day before the House Ways and Means
Committee
Waiting Perio' Required.
At the beginning practically all the
States made strikers ineligible for UNI
employment compensation. Since then,
some States have amended their laws
so as to make strikers eligible after an
additional waiting period" of umem-
ployment. (All the States except Mary
land require an initial waiting period
of one or two weeks for all workers. 1t
was expected that this additional wait
ing period for strikers would exclude
most of them, because the average strike
does not last more than several weeks.
But prolonged labor stoppages such as
that of the coal miners are something
else again.
Forty-tWo States do not disoualfy a
worker made idle by strike to which
he is not primary party-such as an
automobile worker laid off because OF
the steel strike. The Federal act forbids
the States to disqualify a worker re-
fusing to take a job in plant where
labor dispute is in progress.
Other Restrictions.
Forty-three States do not allow week
in which a strike is in effect to be count
ed in the week or weeks making up the
required waiting period. Five States
allow such a week thus to be counted
after certain period of time: In
Louisiana, three weeks; in Tennessee.
four weeks; in Pennsylvania, five weeks
in New York, seven weeks: in Rhode Is
land, eight weeks. Most States, includ-
ing Pennsylvania, provide that the pre-
scribed waiting period need be in effect
only once during any one benefit year
that is, worker becoming eligible does
not lose that status if he becomes idle
a second time.
The amount and duration of unem-
ployment compensation vary widely by
States. The maximum is S28 a week in
Connecticut flor worker with as many
as three Dependents. The minimum is
as low as So week Gn four States. In
every State the amount is based on the
workers previous earnings. The maxi
mum duration of payment is Is weeks
Tin five States
Railroad workers have their own Fed
eral system of unemployment compen-
sation, under act of June 25, 1888
Whether this allows payments to strik-
ers has not yet been ruled upon.