Can I get NYS Department of Labor unemployment when quitting my job for good cause?
I'm thinking about quitting my retail job because my manager has been cutting my hours from 35 to 15 per week over the past month with no explanation. I've been there for 8 months and this sudden reduction is making it impossible to pay my bills. I know generally you can't get unemployment when quitting but I've heard there are exceptions for good cause. Does anyone know if reduced hours counts as good cause for quitting in New York? I really need to know before I make this decision because I can't afford to be without any income.
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Gael Robinson
Yes, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you quit for good cause in New York. Substantial reduction in hours can qualify as good cause, but you'll need to document everything. Keep records of your original schedule vs current schedule, any communications about the hour cuts, and make sure you've tried to address this with your employer first. When you file with NYS Department of Labor, they'll review your case during adjudication to determine if your reason meets their good cause standards.
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Summer Green
•Thank you! Should I try talking to my manager again before quitting? I did mention it once but they just said business was slow.
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Edward McBride
i quit my last job because they kept changing my schedule last minute and i got denied for unemployment. they said i should have tried to work it out first or something. not sure if hour cuts are different though
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Darcy Moore
•Schedule changes and hour reductions are treated differently by NYS Department of Labor. Hour cuts that significantly reduce your income can be considered constructive dismissal, which is stronger than voluntary quit. You should document the reduction percentage and impact on your earnings.
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Dana Doyle
I had a similar situation last year where my hours got cut from full-time to part-time. The hardest part was actually getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to explain my case during the adjudication process. I kept calling but the lines were always busy or I'd get disconnected. Eventually I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call on my own.
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Summer Green
•Interesting, I hadn't heard of that before. Did they charge you a lot for the service?
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Dana Doyle
•It was worth it to avoid the endless calling and busy signals. Much easier than spending hours trying to reach someone myself.
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Liam Duke
The NYS Department of Labor system is so broken honestly. Even when you have a legitimate good cause for quitting they make you jump through hoops to prove it. I hope you have better luck than I did - took them 6 weeks to process my case and by then I was already broke.
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Manny Lark
•6 weeks?? That's terrible. The adjudication process shouldn't take that long.
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Manny Lark
Just agreeing with the others that hour reduction can definitely be good cause. Make sure you document EVERYTHING before you quit though!
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