Vagabond,
The payroll lady at the company used some very specific wording on why they considered the NJ based crews employed in the state of Florida. She quoted chapter and verse something identical to this:
Use Florida's method for determine where to pay SUTA. it'll make it a lot simpler than trying to break it across the different states and credit one state toward another, but only if that state allows it, and so on.
https://taxlaw.state.fl.us/ut/eh/sect2.pdf
Tax & Wage Reporting, page 11 (PDF page 3). There is a 4 point test to determine where to report the employees wages.
1) Localization of services (if employee works more than 50% in Florida, you report to Florida)
2) Base of Operations (Main office where employee works)
3) Place of Direction or Control (Main office where employee receives instructions)
4) Place of Residence.
The only time you'd need to change which state you are paying SUTA to is if the employee transfers to a new office (see page 14). Then you worry about applying SUTA wages paid in one state against another.
She was real persistent in repeating item #3 several times. I came to the conclusion that I wasted enough mental energy on this...I can't say that I agree with it but I really can't afford to continue pushing on a rope.
Now here is a completely different issue. WARN notice. Who wants to chime in on when a company needs to provide advanced notice of mass layoffs? Because these fine upstanding individuals pulled the plug on us on the 31st and said you're done. All the previous places where I've been layed off have been obligated to give advanced warning of cuts. What makes this place different?