WMC, other business groups side with Republicans about unemployment benefits

In a reaction statement to Gov. Tony Evers’ veto of Assembly Bill 336, which would have ended the federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) stated that a coalition of local chambers and other business associations have urged the governor to end Wisconsin’s participation in these expanded benefits. The benefits allow claimants to receive up to $300 per week on top of the state’s maximum of $370 in unemployment benefits, and the organization states this disincentivizes employees from getting back to work. Gov. Evers has consistently claimed there is no data to prove the enhanced benefits are impacting the state’s workforce shortage.