Employment is not suitable when:
· The wage is less than:
· The federal or state minimum wage, whichever is higher;
· 80 percent of the federal minimum wage if neither the federal or state minimum wage is applicable; or
· The average hourly wage that the employee can reasonably expect to earn based on piece rate is less than the applicable minimum wage.
· The distance to the job prohibits walking and transportation is not available;
· The commuting time from home to the job is unreasonable when considering the wage, time and cost of commuting;
· The commuting time from home to the job is more than two hours per day. Do not include taking a child to and from a childcare facility;
· The household member, as a condition of employment, must join, resign from, or refrain from joining a labor organization;
· The work is at a place subject to a strike or lock-out at the time of the offer;
Exception: The job is considered suitable if the strike has been enjoined under Section 208 of the Labor-Management Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 178 Taft Hartley Act); or an injunction has been issued under Section 10 of the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. 160).
· The degree of risk to health and safety is unreasonable;
NOTE: Verification may include, but is not limited to, proof that the employer has failed to observe health-related guidance, orders, or emergency declarations from the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, or the federal Centers for Disease Control.
· The household member is physically or mentally unfit for the job. Document by medical evidence or by other reliable information;
NOTE: Require verification only that the household member is unfit for the particular job that the individual was offered, quit, or in which they reduced work effort. Do not require verification that the household member is unfit for all employment.
· The job offer is not in the household member’s usual line of work. This applies only for the first 30 days after the CAO initially determines the member is a work registrant and does not apply if the person voluntarily quits a job;
· The working hours or nature of the job interferes with the person’s religious observances (e.g. holy or Sabbath days), convictions, or beliefs; or
· There is a lack of adequate childcare for children under 12 or over 12 who need close supervision. Consider the hours of employment or ETP participation and the availability of daylight working hours.
The CAO must accept the household member’s statement when establishing good cause, unless the statement is questionable. If the statement is questionable, the household has primary responsibility of verification.
NOTE: The CAO may not find information questionable based on the household member’s race, religion, ethnic background, national origin, or status as a migrant/seasonal farmworker or Native American.
Reissued May 19, 2021, replacing December 22, 2010