[EAS]Tele-Unemployment

[pjk]

Subject:   Tele-Unemployment

(from NewsScan Daily, 3 Jul 2003)

OUT-OF-STATE TELECOMMUTER IS OUT OF LUCK
A telecommuter living in Florida and doing work for a company in New
York  has been told by the highest court in New York that she's
ineligible for  New York State unemployment benefits. The court
ruled unanimously that the  eligibility for benefits depends not on
where the employer is but on where  the worker is. Since about 28
million Americans telecommute, this decision  is likely to have
implications for workers throughout the country. (AP/San  Jose
Mercury News 3 Jul 2003)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6226207.htm

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In the '80s, when self-employment and telecommuting in the US were a
small fraction compared to such employment in Europe, the single
biggest reason was the US lack of health insurance for the
self-employed telecommuter. Such corporate, regional and national
dichotomies are still an issue. Perhaps it is not often thought
about that the decentralization of work calls for a centralization
of how benefits are administered. --PJK