Opinion ID: 1723445
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Single Employer Issue

Text: In Orhanen, the mining companies argued that the plain wording of the statute permits consideration of wages paid by only one employer in determining an employee's eligibility for benefits. Under the companies' reading of the statute, then, the steelworkers could not qualify for benefits. A single employer did not pay them enough wages in at least two consecutive weeks of interim employment to meet the requirements of § 29(8)(b). Employees Peter Orhanen, Gary Pyykkonen, and Dale A. Toivonen held union millwright cards and secured interim employment with at least three different companies through their union hiring hall. [15] The employments were transient, involving only one or two long shifts with any one employer. The issue is whether wages paid to the worker by more than one employer in the qualifying period can be combined to entitle the worker to unemployment benefits. We rule that they can. Initially, the phrase an employer suggests that the plain language of the termination provision requires that interim employment be with a single employer, only. We cannot interpret § 29(8)(b) apart from other sections of the statute without constant reference to the whole. Plymouth Stamping v. Lipshu, 436 Mich. 1, 17, 461 N.W.2d 859 (1990). We begin with the requirements that appear in the statute. They establish that an individual can requalify for unemployment benefits by (1) performing services in employment for at least two consecutive weeks, and (2) earning wages each week equal to or greater than the actual or potential weekly benefit rate. In defining and calculating the benefit rate, we are required to examine other sections of the act for guidance. [16] Thus, we review M.C.L. § 421.20; M.S.A. § 17.521 and M.C.L. § 421.50; M.S.A. § 17.554, which set forth the standard for determining such rate. Specifically, M.C.L. § 421.20(b); M.S.A. § 17.521(b) provides in pertinent part: If the individual earned credit weeks from more than 1 employer, a separate determination shall be made of the amount and duration of benefits based upon the total credit weeks and wages earned with each employer. Finally, in order to establish the meaning of a credit week, we rely on M.C.L. § 421.50; M.S.A. § 17.554. That section not only defines credit week, it refers to wages earned from more than one employer. It states: (1)If an individual earns wages from more than 1 employer in a credit week, that week shall be counted as 1 multiemployer credit week and shall be governed by the provisions of section 20(e)....