Unemployment seminar aims at keeping employers in county
The Missouri Department of Economic Development is sponsoring a seminar on unemployment insurance through the Missouri Employers' Committee (MEC) of Jefferson County.
The goal of the seminar is to help employers properly document reasons for termination to avoid unjust claims and to teach the employer how to conduct a phone hearing.Dave Herrmann, veteran's representative for the Department of Economic Development, said when former employees are told they are not eligible for unemployment because they were dismissed for repeatedly arriving at work under the influence of alcohol, for example, the employees can appeal the decision.
A hearing is then conducted via telephone.
If the employer properly documented the reasons an employee was fired, the claim does not have to be paid. Herrmann said unemployment is a tax on the employers' wages.
"The state states that the most important person in Missouri is the employer," Herrmann said.
Business owners will learn about grants and tax benefits available to them for hiring ex-offenders or veterans living off of food stamps, for example.
"There are 6,000 companies in Jefferson County and very few of them take advantage of what the state has to offer," Herrmann said. "The state of Missouri has so much to offer."
The seminar is scheduled for 8-11 a.m., Sept. 19, at Frederick's, 201 Main St., Festus. Breakfast will be served. Cost is $20 per person. Checks made payable to MEC can be mailed to the Missouri Career Center, 3675 West Outer Road, Arnold 63010.
Reservations are needed by Sept. 12.
"Our goal in Jefferson County is to keep the employer in Jefferson County," Herrmann said.
For more information, contact Herrmann or Bob Swartz at 1-800-292-1314 or 636-287-8909.
