NYS Department of Labor claim after layoff due to tariffs affecting our manufacturing plant
Got laid off last month when our textile manufacturing company in Buffalo had to cut 40% of staff because new tariffs made our imported materials too expensive to stay competitive. Filed my UI claim three weeks ago but still haven't received my first payment. My former supervisor said several other plants in the area are facing similar issues with trade policy changes affecting their costs. Has anyone else filed unemployment after tariff-related layoffs? The NYS Department of Labor website doesn't seem to have any specific guidance about this situation and I'm worried my claim might get stuck in adjudication.
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NebulaNinja
Tariff-related layoffs are treated the same as any other involuntary job loss by NYS Department of Labor. Your claim shouldn't face any special delays just because of the reason for your layoff. If you're still waiting after 3 weeks, you should definitely call to check on your claim status. Make sure you've been filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the initial determination.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Thanks, I have been doing my weekly claims religiously. Just frustrated because bills are piling up and I keep hearing the phone system is impossible to get through.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
My brother works at a steel plant near Rochester and they've been warning about potential layoffs for months due to tariff issues affecting their supply chain costs. He's been updating his resume just in case. The whole situation is really affecting manufacturing workers across upstate NY.
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Dylan Mitchell
I had success reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you to an actual agent. Saved me hours of frustration when my claim was stuck.
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Sofia Morales
•Never heard of that before but honestly anything is better than sitting on hold for 3 hours just to get disconnected.
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Dmitry Popov
TARIFFS ARE DESTROYING AMERICAN JOBS!! This administration's trade policies are killing manufacturing and now working people like you are paying the price while politicians play games with our livelihoods. NYS Department of Labor should be expediting claims for people affected by these terrible policies!!
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Ava Garcia
Wait, so if a company lays people off because of tariffs, does that qualify for unemployment? I thought there might be some kind of trade-related assistance program instead? I'm so confused about all these different benefit types and what applies when.
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NebulaNinja
•Regular unemployment insurance covers any involuntary job loss regardless of the company's reason. There are separate federal trade adjustment programs, but those are different applications entirely and don't affect your UI eligibility.
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StarSailor}
My cousin went through something similar when his automotive parts plant had layoffs due to supply chain cost increases. Took about 4 weeks total to get his first payment but everything worked out fine once the initial claim was processed. Just keep filing those weekly claims!
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