*By Stephen S. Zashin
President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009
(H.R. 3548) on Friday, November 6th as unemployment reached 10.2%.
The Act will extend unemployment insurance benefits by 14 weeks in all
states. States with higher average rates of unemployment (8.5% over a
three-month period) will receive up to 6 additional weeks of benefits
for a total of 20 weeks.
The National Employment Law Project reports that benefits for
one million unemployed individuals would have ended without the
extension. The legislation also includes amendments extending the
first-time homebuyer tax credit and tax credits for businesses
sustaining operating losses in 2008 or 2009.
If you have any questions how the unemployment benefits
extension may affect your business, please contact Stephen S. Zashin at
216.696.4441 or ssz@zrlaw.com.
*Stephen S. Zashin is an OSBA Certified
Specialist in Labor and Employment Law and has extensive experience in
all aspects of workplace law. For more information about defending
allegations of public policy discrimination, please contact Stephen at
216.696.4441 or ssz@zrlaw.com.
