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Some states are making it easier for Americans to collect unemployment benefits if they’re fired for being unvaccinated against Covid-19.
The governors of Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee signed laws in recent weeks that change eligibility rules for jobless benefits. Workers in these states who lose a job for refusing to comply with a workplace Covid-19 vaccine mandate now qualify for benefits.
That runs counter to typical state rules, which generally disallow aid if workers are fired for failing to adhere to certain workplace policies, whether related to vaccine requirements or mandatory drug tests, for example, according to labor experts.
Apr2020JulOctJan2021AprJulOct25M20M15M10M5M0
change_from_feb
Feb. 2020 152.5M payrolls
Feb. 2020 152.5M payrolls
Nov. 2021 148.6M, +210K from Oct.
Nov. 2021 148.6M, +210K from Oct.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data is seasonally adjusted.
Three of the states (Florida, Iowa and Tennessee) are helmed by Republican governors. Kansas’ governor is a Democrat.
Republican lawmakers in other statehouses, including Arkansas, New York and Wisconsin, have introduced similar bills since September, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures database.
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