Montana labor news., 1947-12-04

ycdEc VI ORCI0tAOll ICA0AlVCI
tration Of the Unemployment
Compensation Law, enacted in
1887. These narrow to those
which are usually made to any
law administered efficiently.
There have been, however, spe-
cific criticisms of the Commits
sion's administration, some of
them phrased like those below !.
Following are the commissions an
swers to the specific indictments:
l. Why work when It often pays
not to work and draw unemployment
insurance or in the case Of veterans,
readjustment allowances?
The Montana legislature has wisely
kept the weekly benefit amount paya
BILE to qualified unemployed to sub
sistence levels, so that there has been
little temptation for Montana work.
ers to try to draw unemployed bene-
fits rather than to work. Human ma.
ture being what it is. there have been
a few cases of this, but the Commits
sion has in every case tried to ferret
out these few individual chiselers, at
the same time paying benefits when
ever possible under the law. The
range of benefits until this year was
IS minimum and SIS maximum per
week: now by action of the 1947 legis,
lature the range is $7-S1S. These
amounts can hardly be said to be
above a subsistence level, and only
payable for a maximum of 16 weeks.
2. When war ended, thousands (t
eIigibIe) became qualified for a years
vacation pay.
Simply stated, this was not true be
cause Montana did not have extensive
war industries. Those few who were
engaged in war industries in Billings
Great Falls, and Butte were rapid,
absorbed by Montana employers wher
the war contracts ended.
3. Unemployed workers are allowed
to refuse employment when job open
ings exceed the number drawing bcne
fits.
Records Of Employment Service di
vision of the Commission indicate tina
job opportunities since the ending o
the war have exceeded applicants 70,
or recipients of unemployed benefits
in some cases, two, three. and some
times five to one. Refusals of suit
able work by Montana workers hav,
always been followed by disqualified
ton, or in some cases, indefinite O
outright ineligibility.
4. Employers have connived will
applicants to make il possible for tn
employee to draw unemployed bene
fits.
BY regulation. employers of Montan
are required to file Form 200 whel
an employee becomes separated fror
his work. The Commission has no
required letter-of-the-law complianc
with this regulation. but in those case
where the employer has complied wit
the law. he has protected himself an
the benefit trust fund. True, som
Montana employers may have indirec
ly connived with employees, but usua
ly only in cases wherein the emplove
felt some damage to his bushes
might occur.
5. Hundreds have drawn benefit
although they made no effort to s.
cure work. except through the stat
employment office.
6. Hundreds have continued to dra
benefits after having landed Jot
through heIp-wanted ads, friends, {
direct solicitation.
Z. Ineligible beneficiaries workir
as domestics, secured days off"
order to call at the employment offie
for their checks.
The Montana Unemployment Cor
pensation Law is one OF the few.
not the only one. in the United Stat,
that prescribes as a requisite for elif
bility OF unemployed workers to dra
benefits that each one must be see
ing work on his own, as well as beir
registered for work with the Sta
: Employment Service. Thus, but fe