Ohio employers share the work and save jobs
Little-used state law is seeing a mini-explosion in the pandemic A growing number of Ohio employers have discovered a tool to scale back operations while avoiding layoffs: Worksharing. Ohio’s shared work program allows employers to reduce employee hours by up to half. Workers then receive unemployment compensation proportionate to the hours they don’t work. Employees […]
Unlike last the recession, Ohio leaders can meet the moment with bold and inclusive policies
More than a decade later, 114,000 more Ohioans live in poverty compared to before the Great Recession of 2008. Now Ohioans, like the rest of the country, are not only living through a public health crisis, but also a recession. A new Policy Matters Ohio report offers a roadmap for state policymakers to ensure Ohio […]
Put JobsOhio to work for people, not corporations
For the most part, Ohio’s privatized economic development agency uses funds from the state’s liquor operations to give businesses tax breaks and subsidies. A new report by Policy Matters Ohio outlines how JobsOhio can help rebuild Ohio after the COVID-19 pandemic by making sure everyone benefits from the recovery. Created in 2011 by Gov. John […]
Put down the ax, pick up the umbrella
It’s pouring. Instead of big budget cuts, use the rainy day fund April’s state tax shortfall of $867 million shows how the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the state budget. The governor announced the shortfall will be addressed through cuts totalling $775 million, mostly to education ($465 million) and Medicaid ($211 million). Senior Project Director Wendy […]
Groups call on Gov. DeWine to continue unemployment compensation to people who face risks returning to work
Ohio employers received notice last Friday that guidance on the state’s COVID-19 policy on refusal to return to work will be released this week. Policy Matters Ohio and the Ohio Poverty Law Center are concerned that a narrow policy that fails to spell out good cause exemptions will exclude many working people who have real, justifiable […]
Before pandemic hit, 6 of Ohio’s 10 most common jobs paid near-poverty wages
Working people, experts call on lawmakers to put people first Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many Ohioans working in the state’s most common jobs were living on the brink. In 2019, six of Ohio’s 10 most common jobs paid wages so low that a family of three would need to use food assistance to make […]
ODJFS can do more to stabilize Ohio families
Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) have taken steps to get resources to families dealing with financial hardship and insecurity due to the economic slowdown. A new brief from Policy Matters Ohio identifies further measures DeWine and ODJFS can take to make sure all Ohioans can make ends meet. […]
Coalition calls on AG Yost to stop collecting student debt during COVID-19 crisis
Greater Cleveland asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to immediately cease collection on student debt that has been turned over to his office by Ohio’s public colleges and universities. Coalition members will discuss their recommendations today on Facebook Live at 4 p.m. “We all want to live in an Ohio with a thriving higher education […]
Ohio appears to fall behind with new unemployment programs
Lag in setting up benefit system for jobless workers Many state governments have had trouble handling the tsunami of claims for unemployment benefits. In the last three weeks alone, 696,519 claims have been submitted in Ohio — nearly double the number all last year. Congress approved significant expansions of benefits in the CARES Act last […]
Advocates, family members, friends call on DeWine to save lives by shrinking prison population
People with loved ones who are incarcerated in Ohio prisons joined with six advocacy organizations and urged Governor DeWine to quickly release from Ohio’s corrections facilities people who are at low risk for recidivism or high risk for contracting COVID-19. See a recording of the tele-press call here. The conference recording is available on Facebook. Other supplementary materials such as family […]
Report: Ohio policymakers can harness collective resources to take on COVID-19 crisis
As Ohioans face down the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from Policy Matters points the way for policymakers to marshal the state’s collective resources to keep everyone safe today and rebuild for the future. To keep Ohioans safe, Governor DeWine closed huge portions of the economy, including restaurants, movie theaters, factories and other workplaces. Hundreds […]
More action needed to ensure no Ohioans go hungry
To keep people safe during the COVID-19 outbreak, Governor Mike DeWine has shut down huge portions of the state economy. These necessary measures have caused uncertainty and instability in the lives of Ohioans. During the week that ended on March 28, 272,117 Ohioans filed unemployment claims, up from 7,046 just two weeks before. Food banks […]