States offer jobless aid to workers who were fired over the vaccine mandate

Some states want to ensure that workers who quit their jobs or were fired over covid 19 requirements can collect unemployment benefits. Thousands of workers across the country have refused to comply with the vaccine mandate which is now the norm among many employees. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found out that 5% of unvaccinated workers say they have chosen to leave their jobs rather than accede to an employer's directive that they get inoculated. 

In general, employees who quit their jobs or were fired from their jobs after defying a company's vaccine rule are not eligible for benefits. Helen Rella, an employment attorney at Wilk Auslander says, "The states administer unemployment insurance programs according to the rules that the states set, and that includes eligibility." However, now four Republican-led states have changed their unemployment insurance rules to protect workers who oppose vaccination requirements by ensuring that they can collect jobless aid. As of this month, Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee have each amended their laws around unemployment insurance. 

Rella says, "These rulings by the states in terms of administration of unemployment insurance programs are part and parcel of opposition to vaccine mandates in general." Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill guaranteeing unemployment benefits for those who are fired for refusing a vaccine. She said, "No Iowan should be forced to lose their job or livelihood over the COVID-19 vaccine."

Source: CBS News