| OCR Text |
Show Changes Announced in Benefits to Unemployed Effective as of July 1 A new, weekly maximum unemployment benefit amount will be effective July 2, said Curtis P. Harding, Hard-ing, Administrator of the State employment security department. Tied directly to the State's growing grow-ing and stronger economy, newly unemployed claimants may receive up to ?35 weekly in jobless benefits bene-fits after July 2, he said. Mr. Harding pointed out that 1955 legislation provided an automatic auto-matic formula which can move the maximum weekly benefit amount up or down, depending on the average av-erage level of the State's insured wages. He urged that both jobless pay claimants and employers be clear on two points: First, that workers whose gross, average pay (before any deductions) deduc-tions) has been less than $70 per week will not get the new maximum maxi-mum of $35 per week. Their jobless job-less pay, he said, will still be about half of their average individual earnings. The only workers eligible eligi-ble for more than the old limit of $33 in benefits will be those workers work-ers who earned more than $66 in wages. Mr. Harding's second point was that anyone who started filing claims for unemployment compensation compen-sation before July 2, this year, will continue to receive the old maximum maxi-mum of $33 a week. Mr. Harding pointed out that in years past, the legislature had set up the maximum weekly benefit amount by ammendments to the State Employment Security Act. But in 1955, he said, the automatic feature was added after full concurrence con-currence by both management and labor. The increase in average weekly wages in insured industries, from $66 in 1954, to $70 last year brings about the present increase in maximum max-imum weekly benefit amount to $35, he said. There is no change in the minimum mini-mum benefit amount of $10 per week, said Mr. Harding. |
