Study claims unemployed workers in state, BX being hit in the pocket

One group is trying to change that Bronx residents on unemployment get less than out-of-work residents of other states in the region.The maximum benefit New York State pays to an unemployed worker in the Bronx and the rest of the state is $405 per week. A study published in The New York Times says a similar worker in Massachusetts is eligible for up to $528. New Jersey pays a maximum of $521 per week and the maximum in Connecticut is $465. The National Employment Law Project says it released its study to raise awareness about the state's unemployment fund. It wants the state to raise the maximum benefit each week to $500 and for employers to pay more in unemployment taxes.The report says Governor Pataki (R-NY) resisted efforts to raise the unemployment benefit so the fund's size could increase. Pataki's administration says employers should not have to pay more in unemployment taxes.