During the shutdowns in the early days of the pandemic, Patrick Pelley was forced to temporarily close the doors of his Charleston, WV restaurant, Books and Brews. When it reopened two months later, serving up award-winning pizzas and pepperoni rolls became a frustrating challenge thanks to federal unemployment bonuses that kept previous employees from returning.
Pelley speaks here on just how difficult it was to run a business when the government paid employees more to stay home. While businesses are still struggling in the wake of pandemic-era benefit programs, states like West Virginia that have ended the bonus are seeing better economic growth than states that are still opting in. Learn more about the effects of the UI bonus on business here.
