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The whole system is rigged in favor of employers! They can say whatever they want and NYS Department of Labor just believes them. I've seen so many people get screwed over by lying bosses. Document everything but don't get your hopes up too high.
File anyway even if you're not sure! The worst they can say is no and then you can appeal. I thought I wouldn't qualify when I got fired but turned out I was wrong.
UGH the whole system is so frustrating. They fired me for 'attitude problems' which basically meant I asked too many questions about why we weren't following OSHA guidelines. Took FOREVER to get my benefits approved and had to go through an appeal hearing. But I eventually won because my employer couldn't prove actual misconduct.
The whole system is rigged against workers!!! They deny people left and right hoping you'll just give up and not appeal. I've seen so many people get wrongfully denied and then have to fight for months to get what they deserved in the first place. Document EVERYTHING and don't let them intimidate you!
This whole minimum wage thing is such a mess. Companies just cut hours and workers end up worse off than before. At least unemployment benefits exist but it shouldn't have to come to that. NYS Department of Labor should do something about employers who use wage increases as an excuse to slash jobs.
Just make sure you keep documentation of your normal work schedule and any notices they give you about hour reductions. NYS Department of Labor will want to verify that the reduction wasn't voluntary. Also, you'll need to be available for work and continue job searching if you're on partial benefits, so keep that job search log updated even if you're still working reduced hours.
Nina Fitzgerald
The NYS Department of Labor phone system is absolutely useless for getting claim status updates. I spent hours trying to get through just to ask about my payment timeline. If you really need to talk to someone about your claim, I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration.
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Jason Brewer
•Never heard of that but honestly anything is better than sitting on hold for 3 hours just to get disconnected
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Kiara Fisherman
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DELAY PAYMENTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!! They make you jump through hoops and wait weeks just hoping you'll give up and find a job before they have to pay out. I've been waiting 5 weeks for my appeal decision and still nothing.
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Liam Cortez
•I feel you on the frustration but for a straightforward store closure case like OP's it should go smoothly
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