All employers pay unemployment insurance. This money is put in a state fund or federal fund that will disburse unemployment benefits to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The first of many unemployment laws was the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 that established the state offices to administer unemployment benefits. If a worker is out of a job, he or she can apply for unemployment benefits at any of the state offices. In some cases, an employer can oppose a former employee’s claim. The reasons include:

• The worker was fired for cause including negligence, criminal activity or drug and alcohol use.
• The worker quit on his or her own. Unemployment laws state that a worker cannot quit and then try to collect unemployment benefits.