Unemployment Articles

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”) was signed into law by President Trump on March 18 and became effective on April 1.  Among its many provisions, the FFCRA included two new laws – the “Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act” (the “EFMLEA”) and the “Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act” (the “EPSLA”) – that have a direct and material impact on all employers with fewer than 500 employees.

Wisconsin employers received good news on June 26 when the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that employers may adopt stricter attendance policies than the attendance standards contained in the state unemployment law, and may avoid paying unemployment benefits to employees who violate such stricter policies.

Several major amendments to the Wisconsin unemployment law were enacted in January of 2014.  The changes were intended to tighten eligibility standards for receipt of unemployment, thus providing relief to employers’ unemployment accounts and the state unemployment fund, which was experiencing a significant shortfall.  

Among the key changes were modifications of eligibility standards for employees who are terminated for “misconduct.”  Employers were optimistic that the new changes would add clarity to the definition of “misconduct,” and would make it more difficult for employees who fail to comply with workplace rules or expectations to successfully pursue unemployment claims.