NYS Department of Labor claim approved after minimum wage job ended - does raising minimum wage cause unemployment issues?
So I just got approved for unemployment after my retail job ended when they cut hours across the board. My manager mentioned it was because of the minimum wage increases but I'm not sure if that's true or just an excuse. Either way, I'm dealing with NYS Department of Labor now and wondering if anyone else has been in this situation? My weekly claim certification asks about why I lost my job and I'm not sure how to answer this. The company said it was 'economic reasons' but didn't give specifics. Has anyone had experience with claims related to hour cuts or layoffs connected to wage policy changes?
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Zane Hernandez
For your weekly claim, 'economic reasons' is perfectly fine to put down. NYS Department of Labor doesn't really care about the specific economic factors that led to your layoff - they just need to know it wasn't your fault. Whether it was minimum wage related or not doesn't affect your eligibility. Just be honest about the circumstances and you should be fine.
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Cassandra Moon
•Thanks, that's reassuring. I was worried they might dig deeper into the company's reasoning.
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Genevieve Cavalier
yeah my cousin went through the same thing last year when her restaurant cut everyone's hours then eventually laid people off... she said minimum wage stuff but who knows if thats really why??? anyway she got unemployment no problem so dont worry about it
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Ethan Scott
I actually had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed clarification on my separation reason. If you run into issues reaching them by phone, 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. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals.
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Lola Perez
•Is that like a paid service? I'm already struggling financially and can't afford extra fees right now.
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Ethan Scott
•It's worth checking out their site for the details, but for me it was way better than spending entire days trying to get through. The peace of mind was worth it when I was stressed about my claim.
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Nathaniel Stewart
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED ANYWAY!!! Companies always blame external factors when they want to cut costs. Minimum wage, taxes, regulations - there's always some excuse. Meanwhile we're the ones left scrambling to pay rent while dealing with NYS Department of Labor bureaucracy. At least you got approved though, that's something.
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Riya Sharma
•I feel you on this. It's frustrating when you lose your job and then have to jump through hoops just to get benefits you paid into.
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Zane Hernandez
Just a heads up - make sure you're keeping track of your job search activities for your weekly claims. NYS Department of Labor requires you to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and log them. Don't let that slip or it could cause issues with your benefits later on.
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Cassandra Moon
•Good reminder! I've been applying places but haven't been keeping a proper log. Need to get organized on that.
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