I’m a Michigan Employer too. I’ve lost several employees who were offered a chance to work from home but to chose to “go on unemployment”.
I just listened to a statement and question/answer video from the Michigan Dept. Of Labor and Economic Opportunity on Youtube. It was released on the 14th. At the 11 min mark it is specifically asked if employees who “voluntarily” leave their jobs due to fear of getting sick will be eligible and the answer was no. That says to me that if I have work for you and you choose not to accept it, you won’t be getting unemployment.
One of my people has already contacted me about being denied.
Employees
The following groups can now apply for unemployment benefits:
People who can’t work because of family care responsibilities, such as those who don’t have childcare due to school and daycare closures, and those who are taking care of sick loved ones
People who don’t have access to paid leave and are sick, quarantined, or can’t work because of compromised (weakened) immune systems
First responders who become sick or are quarantined because of exposure to COVID-19
Compromised (Weakened) immune systems includes Smoking, diabetes, asthma Forget about walking off for a second, Think about trying to hire someone away from unemployment. Right now I need 6-10 workers. I can pay them $450-$700 per week. On Unemployment they are getting $1000-$1200 per week. How many applicants do you think I am going to have? The CARES Act effective has caused the new minimum wage to be $22-$25 per hour. (To stock shelves and cashier) I have to offer someone $25 to stock shelves, to work the drive through, to be a gas station cashier. Maybe Wal-mart & meijers can pay 19 year olds $55,000 per year to stock shelves, but the Mom & pops will be gone!
Some judicial activist judges somewhere will likely rule that this is discriminatory (since some ethnic classes are more likely to get Covid and are fearful of wearing masks?).
Meanwhile speaking about discrimination, where do the self-employed fit into this? What if you went out of business due to Covid and the "cure?"