KPBS Midday Edition

San Diegans Making More On Unemployment Weigh Return To Work

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published May 13, 2020 at 11:04 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Restaurant workers in Old Town San Diego wear facial coverings due to COVID-19 restrictions in this undated photo.

The federal CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, provided jobless benefits of $600 per week to some workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Some workers receiving both state and federal benefits are making more income than when they were working.

Governor Gavin Newsom said 70% of California's retailers and manufacturers have been given the all-clear for a modified re-opening.

This is a mixed blessing for some low-wage workers, like those in restaurants, retail, hospitality and light manufacturing,

The federal CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, provided jobless benefits of $600 per week to some workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Some workers receiving both state and federal benefits are making more income than when they were working.

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The additional federal benefit, equivalent to a full-time job at $15 per hour, is on top of state unemployment benefits, which average about $350 per week. In San Diego, the current minimum wage is $13 per hour.

This round of enhanced federal benefits lasts until July 2020. Workers who refuse to go back to work until after the federal benefit expires are taking a risk. If they turn down their old job to continue to collect benefits, they could be forced to make restitution, incur a 30% penalty and face limitations on filing for unemployment in the future.

Phillip Molnar, business reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Phil Blair, owner and CEO of the staffing firm Manpower of San Diego, joined KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss the complications of returning to work.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn