News and commentary on Religion, especially Southern religion.

Showing posts with label unemployment insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment insurance. Show all posts

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Laid-off Baptist employee surprise

Laid-off nonprofit employees are not eligible for unemployment insurance and there are sometimes other unpleasant surprises, very much like the worst stories from the private sector.

There are those who just before, during or after their piece of butter-icing cake at the fond farewell party learn that the severance package which awaited just one more approval was approximately one day's pay.

That day, actually.

Or trusting a good Southern Baptist organization to be fully Christian he/she (each, actually) fails to quite finish exit negotiations with every issue settled and stipulated in writing. Left, they may have believed, not quite hanging are the medical benefits. Which on or about the last day of eligibility as employees they learn, will not walk hand-in-hand with the salary settlement.

Private, for-profit insurance companies are, you see, not alone in finding last-minute reasons to deny benefits, and having heard and verified stories like those, we have become very curious about how often such things occur on BaptistPlanet.

Thus far we haven't heard of anyone who was burned at the stake as part of their severance package, but such former employees are notorious for failing to write thank-you notes and answer emails.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Laid-off nonprofit employees get how much in unemployment insurance benefits?

None, explains Tony Cartledge.

He quotes career-planning and employment specialist Patty Edwards Shaver who explains:

Many years after the unemployment insurance program began, the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) was amended to exclude 501(c)(3) organizations with religious affiliations. Although these organizations must pay FICA and other taxes, they have special tax-exempt status and are not liable for FUTA taxes. This means laid off employees from these organizations are not considered eligible workers and are not entitled to unemployment insurance.

There's more.