Committee Passes Measure to Assist Part Time Employees

A bill to help give part time employees a financial boost by providing them with unemployment insurance payments was approved unanimously Monday by the Senate Business and Labor Committee. Senate Bill 1385, by Sen. Jim Wilson, would authorize the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to create a voluntary Shared Work Unemployment Compensation Program.

"This is one possible solution to the high unemployment rates we’ve been seeing in our state. It's a win-win for both employers and employees during these tough economic times," said Wilson, D-Tahlequah. "It would save employers money by allowing them to cut workers' hours instead of laying them off. Employees would also be able to better afford working part time because their benefits would be paid for under this new program."

To be eligible for the program, employers would have to submit written shared work plans to the Commission for approval and would also have to agree to provide the Commission with future reports relating to the operation of those plans.

SB 1385 will next be considered by the full Senate.