Manufacturing layoff - why did factory workers dread unemployment claims process?
Just got laid off from my manufacturing job after 8 years and I'm trying to understand why all my older coworkers always talked about dreading the unemployment process. Filed my initial claim with NYS Department of Labor last week and it's sitting in adjudication. The stories I heard from other factory workers made it sound like a nightmare but so far it seems straightforward? Maybe I'm missing something. Has anyone else dealt with manufacturing layoffs and the UI system? What should I expect that I'm not seeing yet?
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Omar Farouk
Manufacturing workers often have complications because of how seasonal layoffs work, union benefits interactions, and pension contributions. NYS Department of Labor has to verify a lot more employment details for factory workers. Your adjudication might take longer than average because they need to confirm your work history, especially if you had any temporary layoffs in the past year.
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PixelPrincess
•That makes sense - we did have a two week shutdown last summer for retooling. Could that be causing the delay?
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Chloe Martin
oh man the stories are true lol. when the auto parts plant closed in 2019 half the guys had their claims tied up for MONTHS. something about severance packages and union contracts making everything complicated
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Diego Fernández
•This is exactly why I always recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) when you're dealing with manufacturing layoffs. The system gets confused with union paperwork and you need to actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor to sort it out. Their service helped me get through to an agent when my plant closed. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Anastasia Kuznetsov
Been through this 3 times with plant closures. The dread comes from knowing that factory shutdowns create a flood of claims all at once, which overwhelms the system. Plus manufacturing workers often have complex situations - shift differentials, overtime calculations, health insurance continuations through union plans. NYS Department of Labor has to verify all of that before approving benefits.
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Sean Fitzgerald
•exactly this! and don't even get me started on trying to do job searches when half the factories in the area are closing
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Zara Khan
The older workers probably remember when the system was even worse. These days it's actually not terrible if you stay on top of your weekly claims and job search requirements. Just make sure you're logging your job search activities properly in the system.
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PixelPrincess
•Good point about the job search log. I've been applying to other manufacturing jobs but wasn't sure if I needed to branch out to other industries too.
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