The state Department of Labor is offering unemployment benefits to Christie administration officials asked to resign by Gov.-elect Phil Murphy’s transition team, according to a notice sent to affected employees today.
The notice says that the state would view this as an involuntary resignation, making affected employees eligible for unemployment compensation. This is meant to encourage officials to sign their resignation letters and not force the incoming administration to begin the termination process.
In politics, there is typically a fine line between resignation and termination. Gov. Chris Christie fired Commissioner of Education Bret Schundler after he alleged that he was misled on an issue that resulted in the loss of $400 million in federal funds. Then Christie dispatched his chief of staff to request a letter of resignation. Schundler asked that he be fired, so that he could obtain unemployment benefits.