Does Amazon fight unemployment claims in NY - anyone have experience?
I got laid off from Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island last month and filed for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor. My claim has been in adjudication for almost 3 weeks now and I'm wondering if Amazon is known for fighting unemployment claims? I've heard some big companies challenge everything but not sure if that's what's happening here. Has anyone else who worked at Amazon had issues getting their UI benefits approved? Really need to know what I'm dealing with since my savings are running low.
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Miguel Ramos
Amazon doesn't typically fight legitimate unemployment claims, but they do respond to all adjudication requests from NYS Department of Labor with detailed employment records. The delay is probably just normal processing time - 3 weeks isn't unusual for adjudication especially if they're verifying your work history or reason for separation. As long as you were laid off and didn't quit or get fired for misconduct, you should be fine.
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Ava Thompson
AuthorThat's reassuring, thank you. It was definitely a layoff - they eliminated my whole shift due to reduced volume. I'm just paranoid because I need these benefits to come through.
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Zainab Ibrahim
I worked at Amazon in Queens and got laid off last year. Same thing happened - took forever for my claim to process but it eventually went through. Amazon is pretty good about providing accurate info to NYS Department of Labor, they just take their time responding which slows everything down.
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StarSailor
The adjudication delay is likely because Amazon provides very detailed separation information to NYS Department of Labor including attendance records, performance data, etc. They want to make sure everything is documented properly. If you're having trouble getting through to check your claim status, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually reach a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.
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Connor O'Brien
Never heard of that service but might be worth trying. The phone lines are impossible to get through on.
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Yara Sabbagh
Large employers like Amazon have automated systems that respond to all unemployment claims with standard documentation. They're not necessarily 'fighting' your claim, just providing the info NYS Department of Labor requested. The adjudication process verifies everything matches up between what you reported and what your employer reported.
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Keisha Johnson
ugh the waiting is the worst part!! I'm going through the same thing with a different company and it's driving me crazy. At least you know it was a legit layoff so you should be good.
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Ava Thompson
AuthorYeah the uncertainty is killing me. Bills don't wait for adjudication to finish!
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Liam O'Connor
I went through this exact situation with Amazon LGA8 in Queens about 8 months ago. Amazon definitely provides comprehensive documentation to NYS DOL but they're not maliciously fighting claims - it's just their standard process. The 3-4 week adjudication timeframe is pretty normal, especially for larger employers where they have to verify employment dates, reason for separation, etc. Since you mentioned it was a legitimate layoff due to volume reduction, you should be fine. Just make sure you keep certifying weekly even during adjudication. The benefits will be backdated once approved. Hang in there!
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