I got offered a Census job--and I rejected it. Here's why.

[Berry Cool]

I've been out of work since July and have been on unemployment since then. For more than 20 years, I have always worked in an office. I know how to use both Macs and PCs. I know how to file and sort, etc. I took the Census exam and passed with a perfect score--and, of course, indicated exactly the type of work experience I have. I also live in a very economically depressed neighborhood with a very high rate of poverty and a low level of education; I'm doubtless one of the few residents who has any kind of college education at all, and I have a master's degree. You'd think they'd be on the phone to me pronto, offering me an office job, right?

Well, I got called just this morning and offered a job as an enumerator--yeah, going door to door. The job would pay $15.25 per hour, and I'd be working 30 hours a week for 6 to 8 weeks. They wanted to know right away whether I'd take it. No time to decide.

I had to say no. This job would pay me little more than I am currently getting every week in my unemployment check--and it would last only 6 to 8 weeks, and at the end of it I probably wouldn't be eligible for unemployment again. Even if I were, it would have to be for way less than I am currently receiving.

I have a master's degree and 20-plus years' experience in an office environment, I pass the exam with flying colors in one of the most economically depressed urban neighborhoods in the country, and the best they can offer me is a 6- to 8-week job pounding the pavement?

This is a farce.

I want to work, but I can't afford to work a temp job that lasts only for a few weeks. I literally cannot afford to. I guess I will have to tell unemployment I rejected a job offer, but I honestly don't think I could have afforded to accept it. And frankly, I think it's an insult that this is the best offer I got. Am I being unreasonable?

[muffin1]

1. If you tell them you rejected an offer,

won't you lose the unemployment benefits?

[Berry Cool]

27. That's what I'm saying. I think I would lose them,

but only for the week.

[muffin1]

39. I thought they would cancel them for good...

at least, I think that's how it used to be. If it's only for the week, and it is really better for you, then I would definitely look out for myself. Especially with all the anti-census crap coming from the right-wing nutbags.:hi:

[rsmith6621]

46. In Washington Stae You Would Lose Your Benifits..

.......Should have taken the Job.....you would have extended out your benefits abit longer.....Is there a hope that you will be employes in the next 8 weeks making more.....if the answer is NO.....you made a big mistake...

[tonysam]

66. You shouldn't even have applied for the job in the first place KNOWING

it was a temporary job.

You don't apply for temp jobs until you have run out of UI for that reason.

[Dreamer Tatum]

2. I think you should take the job nt

[CoffeeCat]

16. Yes, but after eight weeks...

...and the census job is complete--this person is left vulnerable with no
unemployment benefits.

Obviously, this person continues to search for work--in order to find long-term
financial stability.

I can understand why this person rejected the census job. I think the temporary
status leaves the OP vulnerable.

[Dreamer Tatum]

18. Did this person think the census job would be permanent? Was it a surprise that it's temp work?

I don't get it. I'd have taken the job just to have a job.

[Berry Cool]

29. I was well aware that the work offered would be temp work

but I was hoping for something more like a year or a year and a half, rather than a handful of weeks.

[Dreamer Tatum]

33. I'd rather have work than UI benefits, but that's just me. YMMV. nt

[tonysam]

68. How in the WORLD would you NOT know these are ALL temporary jobs of only a few weeks'

duration? The Census Bureau is NOT going to hire for long-term jobs; those most likely would go through the federal Civil Service.

[Berry Cool]

74. No one ever said these were jobs of ONLY weeks' duration.

That is not what I was told at my exam. I was told there were options of jobs that lasted longer.

I'd really appreciate not being treated like an idiot.

[tonysam]

82. Baloney. They aren't permanent. Have you even read the ads for the Census?

ALWAYS they have been advertised at between six and eight weeks' duration. ANY long-term jobs with the federal government go through Civil Service.

[Berry Cool]

89. Did I ever say I thought I would get a "permanent" offer?

Or a long-term one? No, I did not. Read what I said. It seems as if you're determined to prove me an idiot, regardless of what I say here.

[orleans]

134. check what the rules are for your state

i kind of remember that if you turned down any job in illinois you'd lose the benefits. make sure you know what's what before you confess to turning down work.

[Doremus]

117. Wrong.

The Census has been hiring for 18 months or more. The jobs were posted about here on DU.

[krispos42]

131. I just got the same job here in Minnesota.

I start in about 3 weeks. However, I applied over a year ago and didn't get the phone call until this week.

At the time, I had just moved out of my apartment and in with a roommate because my hours at work had been slashed down to 32/week.

Now, I'm working full-time, I actually worked the last 4 Saturdays as well as some overtime during the month, so I'm actually doing a lot better. I'll still take the extra hours, though...

[Berry Cool]

28. That's the problem right there.

I don't want to take anything that will render me ineligible for unemployment based on my most recent job or reduce my benefits based on my most recent job.

[JamesA1102]

71. Not true.

As long as his claim is still active, he can continue collecting unemployment after the temp job ends.

[lib2DaBone]

80. True.. you can start back up on your unemployment after the job ends..

..just be sure to let them know going in that it is a TEMP job so you dont get zinged for quitting a job.

If you quit a job or refuse a job you will lose your benefits.

[harkadog]

108. That is not how unemployment works.

He would have had the same UI after the job. His mistake but that opens up a spot for someone who really does want to work.

[karynnj]

112. You're wrong - and Kerry and Reed want to change that

New England Democrats are trying to build bipartisan support in Congress to change a federal law that slashes the benefits of workers who take low-paying part-time or temporary jobs while collecting unemployment.
< snip - after failing to get it in the Senate Jobs bill,>
Reed and Kerry, both Democrats, still hope to make the change as legislators work out the differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill, according to staff. Failing that, they will seek to insert the provision to other legislation that is moving through Congress.
<snip>
Thousands of laid-off workers seeking to renew their benefits for a second year, not uncommon during this recession, were shocked to learn of the penalty for performing some alternate work while looking for a permanent job. When they do, their benefits are recalculated based on the low pay from the part-time or temporary work.
<snip>
“It defies common sense to penalize workers for taking part-time jobs when it is the only choice they have to get the bills paid,’’ Kerry said in a statement. “The last time I checked, we were supposed to be standing by people who get up every day, hunt for work, and do what it takes to help their families.’’

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/03/12/ne_democrats_seek_to_fix_unemployment_glitch

[harkadog]

114. UI is not based on your last job anyplace

The census would have nothing to do with it. They go back five quarters to determine the amount and length.

[Obamanaut]

3. I think you should have taken the job. When you applied, then took

the test, didn't you know that some (most?) of the jobs are temporary? And the salary? And the approximate hours?

[Berry Cool]

30. Yes, yes and yes.

But as I say above, I hoped to work for more than just a few weeks, and actually for more hours.

[kestrel91316]

4. Take the job. Rejecting a job offer will cause them to yank your unemployment, IIRC.

[prolesunited]

17. Yep, unless you lie

which means you would be committing fraud.

At the beginning of unemployment, you can allowably reject offers if they are not within a certain percentage or your previous earnings, but as you go further down the line on extended benefits, that percentage becomes less until you have to accept any offer that is made. That is why I only apply for jobs that I actually want to accept.

I think the OP should call them back and accept pronto.

Humility is a virtue. Maybe life is trying to teach you that.

Me, I've been laid off twice in five years. Now, I'm trying to get a job that I could do in my sleep for $20,000 less than I was making five years ago, but has great health insurance. It's not what I want, but it appears that's all I may get for now. I will be grateful and continue to work toward something better.

[Berry Cool]

35. I am only on Tier I of extended benefits.

I will take the chance that I do not have to accept absolutely any offer made.

And I don't need lessons in humility, thank you very much. This whole period has been a lesson in humility. But I still have a certain degree of pride. I am willing to take permanent jobs that pay less than I made and even willing to take a temp job that will pay less, so long as I'm not worse off for doing so than I would have been had I rejected it. But there are compromises I will not make. Yet.

[slackmaster]

5. You deserve to have your UI benefits cut off

:hi:

[Name removed]

12. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alarimer]

121. What the hell for?

For rejecting a piece of shit temp job that pays less than they UI (something he might not have known in advance).

People are so fucking judgmental here anymore.

[slackmaster]

139. You don't seem to be familiar with the CONDITIONS under which UI claims are paid

Study up on the subject before making a lame attempt to excoriate someone who knows more about it than you do.

[onehandle]

6. As a professional pretty much in the same boat, I agree with your decision.

My 'full time job' is looking for a full time job.

[tonysam]

69. In Nevada, you have to be offered a job in writing

for them to deny you UI if you turn it down; after all, there are "job offers" being made and the employer decides to cancel at the last minute.

Now if your employment office ASKED you to come down and apply for the job and THEN you turn down the offer, or you don't take action on the office's request to come in and apply, you are in deep shit.

[aikoaiko]

7. I don't blame you for making what you think is your best economic choice given the circumstances

But I certainly can't criticize the Census folks for offering you a job that they needed filled. I wouldn't call their offer a farce.

I am sure someone more desperate or willing than you will take the job.

edited to add: Just make sure you acting in your own best interest in term of your Unemployment Insurance, rules, and laws.

[Berry Cool]

38. I know they need to have someone fill the job.

The truth is, they can probably fill it with someone more needy than me, and should. And yes, I am trying to act in my best interest.

[Deep13]

8. You know your situation.

I took that job ten years ago because my law practice was slow and because I thought that prior Federal experience might help me get a Federal job in the future.

[elocs]

9. You do what you have to do to get by. I finally figured out I am better off keeping myself poor,

working maybe 20 hours a week and being mostly my own boss rather than working 40 hours a week and not having health insurance and only marginally having more money.

[Brickbat]

10. When did you apply to the census? They did a lot of the hiring for office work and managers weeks

and months ago. As far as being "insulted" about the "best offer you got" -- wow.

[Berry Cool]

40. I'm sorry if you think that's too egotistical of me, but I applied months ago

and this was the best offer I got. They told me they weren't hiring in my area until now.

[uppityperson]

11. Taking a temp job won't cut off your UI benefits, simply delay them

Refusing a job may, depending on several factors. You don't have to take a job that is out of your category of work, pays much less than going rate, or is dangerous.

Why would you not be eligible for unemployment if you took this temp job?

[prolesunited]

23. If you are on extended benefits, which he probably is,

they reset your benefit level to your last salary. As a professional, he probably was on the highest tier. Even though he still will be able to collect unemployment, his benefit tier will be reduced.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0329/Is-any-work-better-than-no-work-Not-for-unemployment-benefits

And this has received scant media attention, so few realize this. I didn't know until recently. I bet a lot of people who took Census jobs are in for a rude awakening.

It is so wrong to penalize people who are trying to do the right thing and do whatever work comes their way.

[Berry Cool]

47. Dingdingdingding.

For the record, I'm a she, but yes, I am now receiving the max benefits I can from my state for a person with no dependents. Even if I were still eligible for unemployment at the end of this job, it would most likely be recalculated so that I'd be receiving the benefits of a person with no dependents who earned only $450 a week. I would much rather receive what I am currently receiving for as long as I can unless I get a job that pays better than that.

[uppityperson]

59. Thank you, I didn't know that.

[nickinSTL]

13. be glad they didn't offer you an office job

at least in our area, the clerks earn less than the enumerators.

My wife is a clerk and she says there are a number of people in her office who have master's degrees.

As far as the 6 to 8 week job pounding the pavement...that's what the majority of census jobs are.

You might be doing the right thing for you to have refused it, but it seems your expectations were unrealistic, which might be due to not understanding the situation.

You don't take the census exam for a census job and get what you were expecting - sorry, that just doesn't happen.

For a more permanent job with the census, I think you'd have to go through the OPM (Office of Personnel Management).

[Berry Cool]

48. I've heard that, too, but I thought maybe I could work more hours

and make up for that. Oh well.

[XemaSab]

97. The office jobs SUCK

Either you're answering the phone, collating, or doing data entry. :P

[nickinSTL]

98. maybe, but if you haven't had a steady job in almost 10 years

answering the phone, collating and data entry look pretty good

[Lost4words]

122. I heard that!

my retirement went from Morgan Stanley to Smith & Wesson! I dont care for living in a box under an Interstate Highway overpass.

[CoffeeCat]

14. Totally reasonable...

Your decision was purely based on numbers. Those numbers determine whether or not you pay the bills and also dictate your financial circumstances in the long run (after the census job
is complete).

The numbers didn't add up for you. I think your decision shows that you've got your
thinking cap on.

BTW--I took the census test too. Congrats on getting a perfect score! I scored a 25/28.
I have a BS in science writing and fifteen years experience. They did call me back, but
I'm still deciding about what to do. I'll probably take any job they offer. I'm currently
a stay-at-home mom--so my circumstances are very different from yours.

I'm unclear why they offered you the enumerator job. I've always heard that the office
jobs went to applicants who had the highest scores and applicable experience.

In any case, I think you made the right decision for yourself. So no, you're not being
unreasonable at all.

[Lost4words]

25. duplicate

[Lost4words]

26. You have no idea how bad it is right now do you?

I applied the same $$ logic early on to no avail, when there 20 high level candidates for each job, unless you are the best of the ,

best talent you can forget getting hired and if you are mid-centry folks, f*ing nothin! Let me say that again.


FUKIN NUTIN!!!!!!

You do realise why the number of women working is going up? Its because they on average make 75% less than a male in the same position. Which I allyways felt was wrong.

We are being screwed for profits. so the man can live large.

[dmallind]

101. Funny. I hired a fifty-something guy just a couple weeks ago

For a permanent office job making a chunk over median wage.

Just the week before him a man I would imagine to be 40s but possibly 50s for same gig.

And a woman I would guess to be in mid 30s starts in a week to round out my closed job reqs for filling holes in my department previously unfilled due to the bad economy (as in fact was my job - I started only four months ago).

I don't think we are screwing them for profits either. Companies expect more value in return than pay going out of course - same goes for me. But of the four I'm the only one who took a (slight) drop from previous income so not exactly an unprecedented effect, and our pay range is about the norm for the industry, company size and area.

BTW in case anyone gets suspicious why I can be sure of income but not of age it's quite simple - employers are not legally allowed to ask age in interviews but income is fair game. Of course their birthdates and hence ages will be part of our HR paperwork, but I am not legally entitled to see those either. I have absolutely no curiosity about their exact ages.

[Ozymanithrax]

15. I have a friend who began as a census taker, and moved from ...

temporary employment to full time employment and has worked for more than 15 years.

I have a relative who,desperate for work, went to work a few years back as a temporary employee at the post office. His work became non-temporary.

You never know what a temporary employment job can bring.

[titoresque]

19. My neighbor works for the Census

She started out by working for what she thought was only going to be a short term job. Then when the GPS portion of the Census was over they asked her to stay on and work in the office, this paid more money. They have now asked her to work as the enumerator supervisor. This pays $18 an hour (I think thats what she told me) and when that is done she will stay at the same rate and go back to the office.

[Berry Cool]

50. I know this could lead to more later, but there's no guarantee of that.

Trust me, I thought about this, and they are putting my name back in the pool anyway, but I just didn't think it was the right thing to do.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. It will make you ineligible for UI? Calls into question the value of your master's degree.

Taking temp work will preserve your benefits longer.

[Lost4words]

21. they gave you a high offer dude, around here its $11.00

you will be less picky when your UI runs out. Im into multiple years now, I dont think I will ever have a job again, and I was a corp suit managing half the Eastern Seaboard. Now Im going around doing auto service in other peoples driveways, in the rain in the snow or mud. I think I am older than you and if so you and all other 30/40 somethings are in for a BIG shock, better erase that masters degree, the youngsters interviewing you dont like smart older folks.

I have tried every f*ing thing I hope your future experiences are better than mine were.

I was hoping our new leader would start something like WPA or CCC as I would travel anywhere and do anything for a steady dollar.

Buddy can you spare a dime?

Good luck to you!

[Berry Cool]

51. I know these hourly rates are high compared to some others

and that's why I applied. Oh, and I am well aware of age discrimination, too.

[wellstone dem]

22. Double check your conclusion about UC law

I think you are wrong, but then I could be wrong. In my state, your benefits would continue to be based on the job you got when you went on UC benefits, not the interim job.

[Ohio Joe]

24. I understand

I'm unsure why they only offered the enumerator job to you, I aced the test as well and was offered a supervisor job. When I was still getting unemployment, I would not have even applied to be honest and for the exact same reasons you gave.

[Lost4words]

31. I wonder how old you are vs the OP, there is much discrimination

[Ohio Joe]

36. I am 46

I do not know how old the OP is but it could definitely be a factor.

[Lost4words]

118. well thats half the data needed, you are gettin up there/here

AARP will be sending you info before you know it.

Best of Luck to you! :thumbsup:

[Botany]

32. That was not a smart thing to do

Why apply for a job and then turn it down? The Census Dept. needs people now and you applied by
taking their test and the very least you could have done was asked for a night to think about the offer.

I am pretty sure that working a temp job would not have effected your unemployment pay. A $15.00/hr
job for 8 weeks in Cleveland is not perfect but it still is better than nothing.

[slackmaster]

43. Yes. If a job pays $15 and that's not sufficient for your needs, don't bother applying for it

Pretty simple.

[Berry Cool]

55. It's not the hourly wage that's a problem.

It's the number of hours per week and the number of weeks. *sigh*

[slackmaster]

64. Was that information not available to you before you turned in an application?

BTW I want you to know that I am sorry for your situation. I've been there, done that.

[Berry Cool]

54. They wouldn't give me a night. I asked how soon I had to let them know

and they said right then. And I am honestly not sure this job is better than nothing for me, given my circumstances.

I don't think I had a lot of illusions about it, either. I just think it's not a good choice for me.

[tonysam]

72. What UI has done in the past is you can work temp jobs and still get it,

but what happens is they deduct your benefit dollar-per-dollar above the first ten hours of work, I believe it is. Your benefit can last weeks longer through this scheme even if you made too much during the weeks you worked to get it for those particular weeks.

The "recalculation" I am not sure of. I was always able to work temp jobs and get UI as I long as I REPORTED WHAT I MADE TO THE STATE OFFICE and made SURE I kept my claim open.

The key is you MUST keep your claim open or else you will LOSE it, and then you have to start all over again.

[LWolf]

34. My mom said yes, but is on-call. Too many locals want the job.

She's retired, and works off and on part time to augment her social security. She got 2 weeks of work, and is hoping they will call her back.

She's already been bitten by a dog; "door to door" here means rural isolation, long dirt driveways, and loose animals.

[arcadian]

37. " indicated exactly the type of work experience I have"

Really? There is absolutely no way to "indicate what type of work experience" you have as that is not an option when applying for this type of census job.

[Ohio Joe]

42. They took my resume...

When I went to take the test and fill out the I9 and the application form. Also, on the application for it did ask for my work experience, if I had ever been a supervisor... some other things that I can't remember.

[Berry Cool]

56. Really? There was on my form.

Then again, maybe I just imagined it... :eyes:

[arcadian]

83. They asked you for work experience?

They didn't on mine. But now that I remember there was the question about supervisory positions, but that was it.

[shimmergal]

58. They _do_ ask if you've had

supervisory experience.

I do. So far I'm set to start an enumerator's job at the end of April; they did say that some in our group might end up as supervisors.

And I think the OP's situation is probably similar to a lot of other unemployed people's here in this area. At least, that they're drawing UI and don't see any advantage in swapping that out for a short term job that wouldn't net them any more money. I can understand where he's coming from.

I too have a master's degree and many years of professional experience. But at present I'm on social security and a small pension; the latter really tanked this past year because of the stock market. I need the extra money so will do the job and hope for the best. I'm a bit wary because of all the RW hysteria; I'd hate to be greeted at a doorway by someone carrying a gun!

[Vincardog]

41. I think it is a farce that there are no jobs for people like you and me. I also think that if we

want an income we have to roll our own.

[Berry Cool]

57. Do you mean literally?

Sorry, not going there. As for just going into business myself--been there, done that, not for me.

[Vincardog]

95. I do you mean literally. If you are expecting any social contract or Justice from todays corps you

are expecting too much.

[NNN0LHI]

44. I have been on unemployment a lot before and I think you are not analyzing this correctly

If I had 26 weeks of UC benefits coming and after 10 weeks I got called back to work for 3 or 4 weeks and then was laid off again I would then be eligible for another 26 weeks of UC benefits because I had returned to work.

Thats the way it worked for me anyway. I don't know if things have changed since then?

Don

[slackmaster]

53. The way UI claims work in California is...

You file, you get approved for 26 weeks.

If you collect for 10 weeks, work a temp job for 8 weeks, you still have 16 weeks remaining on your claim when your temp job ends.

Once you have gone through your 26 weeks worth of benefits, you can file another claim. Eligibility for any new claim is based on income of the best quarter you had in the year that ended six months prior to the claim date.

I believe most states have similar arrangements.

[tonysam]

73. Correct. People NEED to keep reporting their pay on temp jobs

to the state office and keep their claims OPEN. The benefit can last weeks and weeks longer.

I did this when I worked in Oregon and my company reduced my hours; I was able to make my 26 weeks of UI last for over a year.

At that time, during the early 1980s, there were no extended benefits.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sharesunited]

49. That's a hazardous job. You can get shot or mauled.

[uncle ray]

52. yes you are being unreasonable.

you are lucky to have even been offered a job. there are many others out there with the same skills you have that will jump at the opportunity to work for 15 bucks an hour. you should be very grateful that our system has enough leniency to allow you to determine what you are worth, and hold out for whatever job you feel is at your level. the government ain't gonna offer donald trump a million dollar salary to be a door knocker because he thinks he is worth is, and they're not going to make you a special offer because you have a degree and can format a workbook.

[Berry Cool]

61. Again, I repeat.

Some of you seem to think I am a prima donna snob because I have a college degree (two, actually) and I hoped to be offered something more than this job. Let me re-explain.

It is not the "$15 an hour" I have a problem with. I am willing to work for $15 an hour, especially if the job will last a year or a year and a half.

It is the ONLY SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS OF WORK I have a problem with, and I have a problem with it largely because I think it will mean I will collect less unemployment after I am finished if I still haven't found anything permanent that pays better by then.

We each have to make our decisions based on individual circumstances. I don't think this circumstance is right for me, and I admit to being disappointed. I know some of you think I must've been born with a silver spoon in my mouth to have this attitude. I assure you, I wasn't. I wasn't born rich, and my education was not paid for by Mums and Daddums. I wouldn't even have the education or experience I have without a lot of help from a lot of sources, the government included.

I wouldn't have taken the test if I didn't think there was the possibility of ending up a little bit better off than I am now. The thing is, only certain offers would have put me in that "better off" position. Now I realize I probably shouldn't have taken the test in the first place. Oh well.

As it stands, I am coming to the conclusion that I am unlikely to find work in my field ever again in my lifetime, and that I may have to go back to school. When I do, it will again be a proposition I need to find financing for, because I don't have the savings and I don't have a Mums and Daddums to foot the bill. I'll face the proposition of having to start all over again in a new career at age 49. But if that's what it takes, that's what I'll do. But i'll do it in a field that shows significant job growth, can't be outsourced, and gives me the feeling I'm making a positive difference in people's lives.

Why not? I'll probably have to work 18 more years of my life after I graduate anyway. I might as well work at something I will enjoy.

[datasuspect]

60. The laborer is worthy of his reward

and i look at this in the broadest possible sense: if you don't work, you can't eat.

[Berry Cool]

63. Wow. You sound like one of the Republicans.

Or one of those socialist commie Marxists.

[datasuspect]

84. it's just a reality i've experienced in my personal life

that if i don't work, i can't pay rent.

if i don't have somewhere to live, i won't have a refrigerator to put food. and i don't like fast food.

other people's experiences might vary.

[krawhitham]

62. You do not understand how unemployment works, and now you're screwed

I find it funny you claim you can not afford to take the job. after saying "This job would pay me little more than I am currently getting every week in my unemployment check"

Your unemployment rate is locked in for that claim. That claim will last 99 weeks with extensions. Once a temp job is over you go back on that claim, so you would have 105-107 weeks of money with unemployment and that job. The temp job would affect YOUR NEXT claim, but you also have to work 20 weeks to qualify for that next claim. So as it stands now you will not get a next claim, so you will receive ZERO. If you would have taken the job you would have 6-8 weeks toward a new claim


Plus unless the job was more that 50 miles from your home when you tell unemployment you turned down a job they will cut you off, and you will receive ZERO

Please explain how "I want to work, but I can't afford to work a temp job that lasts only for a few weeks. I literally cannot afford to."

[Berry Cool]

67. Did you read the article referred to above?

I am concerned about getting screwed because of that little-known situation.

And now I feel thoroughly beaten down. I feel as if there was no way I could have done the right thing. Take the job, and screw myself. Reject the job, and be called a princess who doesn't want to work. I can't win.

[krawhitham]

77. Yes I did, and you do not understand how unemployment works

Benefits recalculated after a year

Most of the people caught in this snag are on Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), a federal program to help those who have exhausted their state benefits. However, after workers have been jobless for 52 weeks, states are required to check to see if a worker has requalified for state benefits. If someone is eligible for state benefits – no matter how small – federal law requires that he or she stop collecting EUC and go back onto state benefits. The states, many with unemployment pools that are borrowing from the federal government, are dramatically reducing the amount paid out to individuals.

Mr. Wentworth cites the example of a Massachusetts woman who had been getting $540 a week in unemployment benefits and, when returned to state benefits, saw her weekly benefit cut to $103. To make matters worse, her husband, also unemployed, saw his benefit drop from $600 a week to $199 a week. Each cut came as a result of having taken a short-term job.

Hanson’s situation is even worse. Connecticut's formula for parttime workers is to take two-thirds of their gross salary (in her case $130 a week, which is $87) and subtract that amount from $39, which would be her weekly benefit based on the parttime job. This gives her a negative $48, or no benefit at all.

“Something is wrong,” Hanson says. “I am allowed to get nothing!”

If after 1 year from the date you started your 1st claim you have worked enough weeks to qualify for a new claim you must take that new claim, that is what the "states are required to check to see if a worker has requalified for state benefits" line means. It is not a little know situation it is just how it works. Most of the time there are no extensions and you would be completely out of unemployment after that 1 year.

BUT unless you work 20 weeks in a one year period it will not effect you because you will not "requalify for state benefits". And to be honest I doubt you will get all the extensions. Congress is having a hard time every month extending the time period for extensions. Since you started your claim in July 2009 you will be extremely lucky if they are still extending unemployment in July of 2010. You better start taking money anywhere you can find it

[tonysam]

78. You needed to call your state employment office for clarification.

Don't rely on newspaper articles and word-of-mouth on something this important.

[Berry Cool]

86. I couldn't call. I had to make the decision on the phone right then.

You don't think I'd have liked to find out more?

[LoZoccolo]

125. You couldn't have done that before the call, or before you applied for a temporary job? n/t

[tonysam]

76. Bingo. The Census job would NOT have hurt her current claim; she would

last much longer on UI. The key is to keep the current benefit OPEN and report the amount of money made each week to the state.

In Nevada at least, and I am sure in all other states, there is a section which asks you to report any amount of money you made the previous week.

[SargeUNN]

65. Unemployment is so low anyway so why take less than it?

I can understand the decision. I realize the Unemployment is a big drop from what one can make if working in a field they are trained and have worked in, and to take a job below the benefits is not good and harmful. Also that person loses the benefits and might not get back on for awhile if ever limited them to whatever means they can find to live.

I also am so sick of these who are moral experts trying to tell others what to do when they don't know what they are talking about. I live on an income that is many times below the poverty level and yet so many want to try to justify this income I am forced to live on. So to all these folks I say shut up and learn before you pass your hideous judgements.

[krawhitham]

75. Did you read the OP

The temp job would be a little more than what they were getting each week from unemployment.

[JamesA1102]

70. Look at your State's regulations for unemployment.

In most states just because you take a temporary part-time job does not mean your claim ends. You just continue to file and state that you worked that week. The state won't send you a check for that week but will not end your claim either. When the temp job ends, continue to file as you normally do and the state will pick up payments from there.

[tonysam]

81. +10,0000

The OP would have been better off taking the Census job and have just that many more weeks to stretch out the UI.

People need to KEEP the claim OPEN. That's all.

[Toasterlad]

79. It's Your Choice To Reject the Job, But Whining About Being Offered It Makes You Seem Like a Douche.

Sorry the Census didn't realize what a catch you were.

[Obamanaut]

85. +1 nt

[Berry Cool]

87. Well, sorry.

I'll know better next time.

[Toasterlad]

91. Good Luck.

Sincerely.

[Maru Kitteh]

123. +1

[Catshrink]

88. Tell them you rejected the offer because of fear for your personal safety.

With all the whackos, like the CNN RW guy, threatening violence against census workers, you decided your safety was more important than the job.

But, why apply for it if you were going to turn it down? Oh well, use the safety thing when you report your rejection. It might fly.

[Berry Cool]

93. Well, that's part of it.

Which I think is a legit fear.

[undeterred]

90. Yes you're being unreasonable.

There is practically no work out there of any kind. I am working at a clerical job (which is not my field) that is temporary. Its $5-10 an hour less than I make as a computer technician and I have multiple degrees. I could have stayed on unemployment and gotten another extension, but what's the point? Something on your resume looks better than nothing. And this way it saves the state a little money for unemployment.

Millions of people would be thrilled to have a job that pays $15.25 an hour. In this economy that's really good.

In this economy nobody can afford to be insulted. Refusing work also makes you ineligible for unemployment. Note that you won't be offered work unless you apply for it, which you apparently did.

[Berry Cool]

94. Trust me, I know the work situation.

I've been in it.

[Cal Carpenter]

92. Your logic for not taking the job makes some sense

but your petit bourgeous attitude about 'pounding the pavement' in (gasp!) a poor neighborhood? Fucking nauseating :shrug:

[Berry Cool]

96. Not a petit bourgeois attitude. You're misinterpreting me.

I would have a petit bourgeois attitude if I couldn't live or walk around in a neighborhood like this in the first place. I can, and I always knew that was a possibility or I wouldn't have applied. I was just being a little ambitious about what I might be able to get, given that Census workers get hired by ZIP code and I happen to live in one in which the education level and job situation is pretty poor. Given that and the fact that I aced the exam, I thought I might have an above-average chance of getting something higher up the census job ladder.

Now I see that I did not. If I want a job, I need to start as an enumerator and prove myself. I think that is doable. So guess what. If I get another chance, I will take it. I don't know that I will, but if it is at all possible, I will.

[nadinbrzezinski]

99. First the census don't care about your experience

you are starting from the bottom, period. And enumerator is the bottom

Second, if I were in your place and I got offered that job, I'd take it, but that's just me. As my mom used to say... and still says it, anything that puts food on table and is honest work, it is a good job.

By the way, the CENSUS NEEDS as many people as they can get to do this, but they have very few office work that are propably going to career people already in the civil service. And yes I saw the announcement and they did not make any bones about this being PART TIME and TEMPORARY.

Good luck.

[Berry Cool]

102. I repeat, for the umpteenth time...I KNEW the work was TEMPORARY.

And the information I got (YMMV) was that you could work up to 40 hours a week in some jobs. That's not "PART TIME." That is FULL TIME. I'd appreciate not being treated like an idiot based on what you saw in a local ad in your area.

[Name removed]

103. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Berry Cool]

105. I am looking at a Census brochure right now

and it says "...work schedules will not exceed 40 hours per week." OK. But 40 hours is not part time; it is full time. I filled out a form when I took the test saying I was available for up to 40 hours per week. In other words, I would have loved to have a full-time job and nothing I saw told me I would be able to get only a part-time job.

You say the announcements in your area are for only part-time work. Well, I don't know what to say about that. The literature I am looking at doesn't say that.

"What makes me think I am so special that I would be offered office work?" Gosh. I don't know. I guess it's just that I've worked in an office for more than 20 years. I now see that this experience did not matter to anyone.

And I repeat: I am not "too special to walk among the people." I do it every day.

And I don't think I have done a thing here to qualify me for being called an idiot, or for being ridiculed for having a "beautiful mind." I don't need to put up with this shit.

[freeplessinseattle]

128. well, maybe you should have been more specific

and just noted that you only wanted full-time, that way you wouldn't have been disappointed with a lesser offer and no one's time would have been wasted.

[Maru Kitteh]

100. We get it. Your beautiful mind is too good to walk among the plebes.

I am among those who believes that individuals who refuse to work should have their unemployment benefits revoked.

[Berry Cool]

104. First of all, I don't have a "beautiful mind" (Barbara Bush I'm not).

Second of all, I don't "refuse to walk among the plebes" or think I am "too good" for them. I AM A PLEBE!!!! I wouldn't have the education or experience I have without having WORKED FOR IT LIKE A PLEBE!!!!

You don't even know me. Stop jumping to conclusions about me. OK?

Second of all, I am not "refusing to work." I WANT a job. I just don't want to be in a bizarre situation in which I'm actually, perversely, going to be punished by the system for actually taking a job it is not worth it for me to take. Is that too hard for you to understand? Or do you get more jollies out of imagining me as some blueblood princess who's living off your dime because I'm too dainty to dirty my hands with work?

I'm really, really sorry now that I ever said I had hoped for a different kind of job, because that was too obviously implying I thought I was "too good for the plebes." Forgive me for being such a snob that I thought I had anything standout to offer.

And to those of you who think I couldn't possibly screw myself by taking this job...I still think you don't necessarily know what you think you know.

[hfojvt]

129. yeah, well I think you are wrong

working for six or eight weeks would not affect your unemployment that much. I worked a temporary two or three day job when I was on unemployment. I did that because I had a fixed dollar amount of benefits and I wanted to extend it a little and I knew of a two day temp job.

[Maru Kitteh]

133. "And frankly, I think it's an insult that this is the best offer I got"

"I also live in a very economically depressed neighborhood with a very high rate of poverty and a low level of education; I'm doubtless one of the few residents who has any kind of college education at all, and I have a master's degree"

"I have a master's degree..."

"I pass the exam with flying colors , and the best they can offer me is a 6- to 8-week job pounding the pavement?"

"I think it's an insult that this is the best offer I got."

_______________________________________________________________________

You wrote that shit. Own it.

[livetohike]

106. I managed a Census office in 2000 - all of those jobs in the local

offices at the mgmt. and supervisory levels were filled by June 1999. You were still employed in June 2009; so you missed applying for the higher level positions. This is the way it was ten years ago and I assume it was this way now. There were probably a few ads in the local paper back in April 2009 for those positions. It is a different application process than going in to take a test. We (managers) all had to take the test, but the application was the standard federal one requiring KSAs.

You definitely would have been a candidate if you were available then.

[Berry Cool]

107. Thank you for that information.

I truly appreciate it. It sheds more light on the whole situation. Also, you were not judgmental and you didn't assume facts about my life you could not possibly know. I thank you for that.

Really, I am not an idiot, and I am not a little prima donna who has had it easy all my life. All I am is an unemployed person trying to pay the bills, find work and do my best in a maze of dazing and confusing and constantly changing unemployment rules and regulations and pieces of advice about how to find work. That's all most of us on DU are when we are out of work in this economy. All we want to do is find a way through the maze without inadvertently screwing ourselves one way or the other. A lot of the old rules don't seem to apply in this new situation. Every once in a while one of us has to make a decision and comes here and says "This is what I did." That's all.

If I am a fool, I think there are many fools like me. And they are not all idiots or prima donnas either.

[livetohike]

109. You're welcome. I didn't want you to feel like you were lacking

in some way, or that the Census employment picture was screwed up. If things are working the way they did in 2000, the only jobs available right now are enumerators and possibly group leaders (who supervise the enumerators out in the field).

Something really good will come along for you. I know it. My husband is getting e-mails from headhunters just this week! So we feel the tide has turned :hug:.

[Berry Cool]

111. Thanks for the hopeful words.

Ideally, I would have the opportunity to interview for and be offered some kind of full-time job soon. It probably would not pay nearly as much as I used to make, but if it was still decent money and what's more, was a job that I could actually be happier at than in my previous one, I would not care. I don't need much. I like being able to pay the bills and maybe have a little left over sometimes. I don't live on credit and I don't need a lot to be happy.

Good luck to your husband too.

[ThoughtCriminal]

119. Some new hires have become supervisors rather quickly

I came on a little over a year ago as a clerk, now I'm a manager. A number of people that were hired earlier this year are supervisors now. Many office have had very high turnover plus some office staff has moved to field positions. Being reliable and really paying attention to the operations helps when vacancies open up.

[livetohike]

127. That's what I saw too. Things move so quickly, there is no

tolerance for under-performing. We made a number of "field promotions" of the staff we had in our office over the time we were open (June 1999 - Sept. 2000). The best people I have ever worked with was during Census 2000. I am still in touch with several of them.

[southernyankeebelle]

110. Yes, you should have expected the job. A job is a job.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

113. Am I Missing Something?

Of course an unemployed person should accept a reasonable job offer ,however in this gentleman's case if he accepted the offer, after eight weeks he would have no job and no unemployment benefits.

A rational person wouldn't take the job.

[undeterred]

115. After my 3 month temp job ends I expect to resume

collecting benefits. The benefits in my claim will last 3 months longer because I accepted the work instead of rejecting it. Not accepting the job means the money will run out faster. The benefits run out when you use them up or refuse to accept a job you are offered.

[Gin]

120. question.....what if you work a 40 hour week during the whole

census period....I know the length of the job is temp...but does the 40 hrs a week disqualify keeping the claim open?

[krawhitham]

130. No

[ThoughtCriminal]

116. Depends on where you live

In at least some states, you would be able to pick up your benefits again after you are released by the Census Bureau.

[alarimer]

124. I got screwed by unemployment insurance in Florida once

Or maybe I actually got screwed by my employer, the state of Florida. In my case, it made sense to take the offer, though it was labeled temporary, it was in my field and paid more than UI. Because the job was labeled temporary rather than permanent, the Florida Marine Research Institute (at the time part of the Department of Environmental Protection) paid temporary employees on a schedule different than permanent ones. Our pay period ran from the 10th of one month to the 9th of the next, with payday being the 30th. So work from January 10th to February 9, get paid on Feb. 28. I can deal with getting paid monthly. But the problem I started on January 2. So I worked from January 2-9, got paid for that week on Jan 30. Of course taking the job ended my UI immediately. So basically had NO money coming for two months. That was the worst time I have ever had.

[Hello_Kitty]

126. I was told you could keep collecting unemployment by the guy administering my test. eom

[Blue_Tires]

132. I have a master's degree, too

during the past several years of un- and under-employment, my part-time jobs have included receptionist, editor, ticket taker at an NHRA event, working at UPS as a driver helper, being a tour guide, being an official grader of a federal standardized test, toy assembler, general handyman for the public library system (including hauling books and equipment from branch to branch), substitute teacher, freelance reporter, managing the front desk of a hotel during the graveyard shift, being a notary, the list goes on...

[Juche]

135. Our UI system can be screwed up

I know there is a risk if you take a temp job you can lose your benefits. Not only that, but if you take a temp job your benefits can be readjusted to reflect the wages from the temp job rather than the wages you had before becoming unemployed.

It is a very messed up system.

[Taitertots]

136. Oh the greed

I think the insulting part would be preferring to leach off everyone else when jobs are available to you. All because you are too greedy to accept a job below your ego standards.

[DCBob]

137. You have been on UI for almost a year.. dont you think its time to go to work?

Many would be thrilled to get a job offer even if part-time temporary. Times are tough dude... millions of more qualified people than you are out of work now. Take the job. If nothing else to just get out of the house.

[Obamanaut]

138. Read the OP. 'Elitism' flows throughout. If it's hard to find, here is a

post that helps pick it out.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8080467&mesg_id=8084490