Helping people prepare for, find, and keep good jobs is what Goodwill is about.

HELLO… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Our hope is that this newsletter serves as some sense of connection to your temporary ‘normal’. Use this as a reference and resource guide to help you through this challenging time of COVID-19. If you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, feel free to pass along. Stay well. Wash your hands. AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU! 

TAXES: 

FEDERAL & STATE NEW TAX DEADLINE: The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal and state income tax filing due date is automatically extended from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020. 

VITA PROGRAM: Pending the expiration of the stay at home order & IRS approval of a non-face-to-face delivery service, the restoration of the VITA service will take place. (May 1st) The VITA mobile site will be implemented, this would not require any appointment. The tax client would need to go to the site, createan account, complete the intake questions, upload tax documents. On-site prep service will be on a gradual, by appointment that we schedule, basis. Nothing is written instone, & subject to change!

STAY CONNECTED… 

While we STAY HOME and STAY SAFE you can STAY CONNECTED to Goodwill by texting ‘GIWM’ to 484848 for up to date information, i.e. return to work dates, changes or new tips for local resources. 

Our Safety Committee has starting working on safety protocol to keep us all safe when we resume normal operations. Yay safety! 

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE FUND: 

Please note that Kristen Wilson is now coordinating our Employee Emergency Fund and internal mission concerns for our employees. Her contact information is below and should be distributed to any employee who needs help with community supports including food assistance and other urgent needs. 

Kristen Wilson 
Success Coach, Workforce Development 
Cell: (231) 557-1685 

This fund is not currently being utilized to support bill payments for rent, mortgage or utilities. These items are certainly important, but during this pandemic, evictions, foreclosures, and (essential) utility shutoffs are illegal so no one should be without these critical safety items. However, everyone’s situation is unique and we want to support however we can. We want to encourage those who are struggling to reach out to Kristen Wilson so that she can help determine which community and/or Goodwill support would be most helpful. 

UNEMPLOYMENT REMINDERS: 

1. You MUST certify your eligibility every two weeks to receive payment. The preferred method of certifying is online, although phone certification is also available. 

Online: Visit www.michigan.gov/uia and sign into MILogin to access your MiWAM account. Your online account is accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day. 

Phone: Call MARVIN at 1-866-638-3993, Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Failure to certify will terminate your benefits. 

2. If you have been unable to file your unemployment claim due to overcrowded phone lines or bogged down website – please use this guideline to file depending on your last name. NOTE: Call hours have been extended into Saturdays as well as an hour later during the week. 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expands Michigan’s benefits to self-employed, 1099-independent contractors, and low wage workers as well as increase in weekly pay to ALL who receive benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Agency allowed these individuals to apply beginning April 13. PLEASE NOTE: Those that were initially denied may qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) under the CARES Act. 

*If your file was previously denied, there is NO NEED to reapply at this time. The Agency will review these claims for eligibility. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL and check your MiWAM accounts for further direction. 

To stay up to date on unemployment – visit the website www.Michigan.gov/uia

ANTICIPATED RETURN TO WORK DATE: 

Our current return to work date is Sunday, May 3 for retail store staff and Monday, May 4 for all others. We can’t wait to see you! 

BENEFITS UPDATE: 

As this time, Goodwill will be covering costs of benefits for those NOT working. We are working on a plan for repayment of those 20% employee premiums for when employees return to normal duties. 

Stimulus Checks: 

Media rumors suggest that stimulus checks will be issued in reverse “adjusted gross income” order—starting with people with the lowest income and in the cities with the biggest impact first. Income is determined through your tax returns. If you did not file your 2018 or 2019 taxes, check here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/turbotax-launches-free-tool-to-help-americans-get-stimulus-payments.html 

UPDATE: The IRS.gov feature helps people who normally don't file taxes to receive payments. To help everyone check on the status of their payments, the IRS is building a second new tool expected to be available for use by April 17. Get My Payment will provide people with the status of their payment, including the date their payment is scheduled to be deposited into their bank account or mailed to them. 

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info 

REACHING OUT IN A TIME OF NEED: 

• Call 2-1-1 for local resources and assistance 
• Utilize MiBridges.org to apply for benefits and explore resources 

https://newmibridges.michigan.gov/s/isd-landing-page?language=en_US 

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037