The $300 weekly unemployment bonus survived a veto override attempt by the State Assembly. The 59-37 vote failed to reach the required 2/3 majority to override the veto by Governor Tony Evers.
Wisconsin Republicans insist that the weekly $300 unemployment bonus serves as a disincentive to seek employment for those who are unemployed.
Republicans are also quick to point out that the additional $300 per week unemployment benefit was approved when unemployment was extremely high during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time very few companies were hiring and many were forced to shutdown, cut positions, impose layoffs, and/or reduce hours.
“The labor crisis has reached every corner of our state. Yet Democrats have the gall to tell employers there’s no supporting data and that the worker crisis is fake," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) who co-authored the legislation to rollback the additional weekly payment.
Numerous business groups, state chambers of commerce, and business owners have complained of a worker shortage in recent months. Many employers complain that they are struggling to find skilled-labor while others complain that they cannot find any workers at all. They claim that the worker shortage they encounter while trying to hire is in part due to the generous $300 additional unemployment benefit.
The most notable group making the case against the continued $300 weekly unemployment bonus is Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) stating that there is a "Workforce Shortage Crisis" facing Wisconsin employers statewide.
Wisconsin Democrats allege that the worker shortage is due to businesses underpaying employees. They insist that a $15.00 minimum wage and better benefits would give unemployed people a reasonable incentive to return to the workplace.
Governor Tony Evers has publicly state that he has not seen any evidence of a worker shortage and does not intend to remove the $300 per week added benefit.
In order to receive unemployment benefits applicants are required to prove that they are looking for work. However, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development was buried under an extremely large backlog in processing unemployment claims and submitting payments. Accordingly, it would seem unlikely that DWD has the resources to properly audit and enforce work search requirements.
Currently, Wisconsin residents who are unemployed can receive up to $670 per week (previously $370 per week before the additional $300 unemployment bonus).
Summary of Additional Unemployment Funds:
Additional Weekly Benefit = $300
Additional Monthly Benefit = $1200 - $1500
Additional Annual Benefit = $15,600
Amounts above are in addition to base unemployment funds.
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