NYS Department of Labor claim denied - unemployment from automation/machines replacing workers
My unemployment claim got denied and I'm really confused. I worked at a packaging facility for 8 years until they installed new automated sorting machines last month. My whole department got laid off because the machines do everything we used to do. When I filed my claim, NYS Department of Labor said I was 'discharged for misconduct' but that makes no sense - I didn't do anything wrong, the machines just replaced us. Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation before? I thought unemployment was supposed to cover job loss from automation but maybe I'm wrong?
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Victoria Scott
This sounds like a wrongful denial. Layoffs due to automation or technological changes should qualify for unemployment benefits under NYS Department of Labor rules. The 'misconduct' determination is completely incorrect for your situation. You need to file an appeal immediately - you have 30 days from the denial date. Make sure you have documentation showing it was a mass layoff due to equipment installation, not individual performance issues.
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Ezra Collins
•Thank you! I do have the layoff notice that mentions 'operational restructuring due to equipment modernization.' Should I include that with my appeal?
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Benjamin Johnson
same thing happened at my old job when they brought in those self-checkout machines at the grocery store, laid off half the cashiers. i got approved for unemployment though so something went wrong with yours
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Ezra Collins
•Did you have to do anything special when you filed? I just answered the questions they asked me.
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Zara Perez
I had a nightmare trying to reach NYS Department of Labor about my appeal last year. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you can't get through the normal way to discuss your appeal.
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Daniel Rogers
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already stressed about money since I lost my job.
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Zara Perez
•They focus on just getting you connected to the right person, which was exactly what I needed. Way less stressful than calling dozens of times myself.
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Aaliyah Reed
The whole system is BROKEN. They deny legitimate claims all the time and then make YOU prove you deserve benefits. Automation has been destroying jobs for decades and they still don't have proper procedures for handling these cases. Fight this hard because they're hoping you'll just give up.
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Ella Russell
•so true, they denied my claim too even though i got fired for something completely unfair
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Mohammed Khan
Actually this is a really interesting case because unemployment law has always recognized technological displacement as a valid reason for benefits. The fact that machines are doing work formerly done by humans is exactly the kind of economic shift unemployment insurance was designed to help with. Your appeal should be straightforward if you have proper documentation of the automation implementation.
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Ezra Collins
•That's reassuring to hear. I was starting to think maybe I misunderstood how unemployment works.
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