Muskego Lake District Resolves UIC Issues

With unemployment claims costing as much as $800 each week for summer workers that manned the weed harvesters, the Little Muskego Lake District (LMLD) board came up with a resolution Thursday night to eliminate the expense.

The board agreed to address 2012 hires through a staffing agency, which would be responsible for any claims as the workers would technically be employed through them, and not the LMLD. While there is an additional expense to pay the agency, one and a half times the hourly rate for each worker, the savings the district will recoup from eliminating unemployment insurance compensation (UIC) would be greater.

In addition, the board voted to apply with the state as a seasonal employer, which would also exempt them from the UIC payments, as long as employees do not exceed 90 days of work. However, the application process would not enable the district to use that label until 2013.