5 May 2021 The Republican governor in Montana is tackling the labor shortage because people are collecting unemployment checks that pay more than their jobs by offering $1,200 “return to work” bonuses. Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Tuesday that the state would be the first in the country to opt out of federal unemployment benefit programs and put in place a plan to get Montanans back to work. An NBC affiliate in Montana reported on the governor’s plan: The state will no longer participate in the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program or the Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation program. The first gives benefits to self-employed, underemployed people, independent contractors and people who have unable to work because of COVID-19 health reasons. The MEUC offers payments to people who had both traditional W-2 income and self-employment income.