The restaurant industry is the WORST for this stuff. They deliberately keep people part-time to avoid benefits and then act like they're doing you a favor. At least NYS Department of Labor recognizes that this is basically partial unemployment. Document everything - your availability, when you ask for more hours, all of it.

just make sure your not working more than like 30 hours or something because then you wont qualify anymore, i think the cutoff is based on how much money you make compared to your benefit amount

I was in a similar situation last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone for weeks to ask about my options. Found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Turned out I qualified for benefits even though I thought I wouldn't. Sometimes talking to an actual person at NYS Department of Labor helps you understand your rights better than trying to figure it out online.

Just remember that even if you get fired and qualify for UI, you still have to do the job search requirements. NYS Department of Labor requires 3 work search activities per week and you have to keep a log. Don't assume getting benefits means you can just coast - they're pretty strict about the job search stuff now.

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask questions about your eligibility, I had good luck using a service called Claimyr that helped me connect with an actual agent. They have this system that calls repeatedly until they get through and then connects you. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting hung up on. The site is claimyr.com - helped me get my claim status checked when I couldn't reach anyone the normal way.

Position elimination is basically the same as a layoff in terms of unemployment eligibility. The key thing is that it wasn't voluntary and wasn't due to misconduct. You should be fine as long as you meet the other requirements like having enough work history and wages in your base period.

If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status or get clarification about your eligibility, I had good luck using claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you actually reach a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of busy signals and dropped calls when I needed to verify my job separation reason.

From what I understand the main categories are involuntary job loss (layoffs, firing without misconduct, business closure), reduced hours that qualify for partial benefits, and some voluntary separations with good cause. The NYS Department of Labor looks at each situation individually but your layoff should be pretty clear cut for approval.

Just to add - if you do need to file for unemployment benefits, you'll do it through the NYS Department of Labor website. The process can be confusing and sometimes you need to speak to someone directly. I had trouble getting through on the phone lines last month but found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me connect with an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process much less stressful when I needed to verify my claim status.

yeah employees dont pay unemployment taxes thats all on the employer side. only thing we pay is like social security medicare and disability stuff