NYS Department of Labor minimum wage and unemployment insurance connection - help understanding eligibility
I'm trying to understand how minimum wage laws affect my unemployment benefits. I was working part-time at $15/hour and got laid off last month. When I filed my claim with NYS Department of Labor, they calculated my weekly benefit based on my earnings history but I'm confused about how the minimum wage requirements factor into this. Does anyone know if there's a direct connection between minimum wage laws and unemployment insurance eligibility? I keep seeing references to both being created around the same time but I can't figure out how they work together for determining my benefits.
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GalacticGuardian
Both minimum wage and unemployment insurance came from the New Deal era legislation in the 1930s as worker protection measures. For NYS Department of Labor purposes, your unemployment benefits are calculated based on your actual earnings history over the base period, regardless of minimum wage. However, you do need to have earned a minimum amount to qualify for UI benefits in the first place.
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Sofia Torres
•That makes sense about the historical connection. So my part-time minimum wage work should still count toward the earnings requirement for unemployment eligibility?
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Dmitry Smirnov
yeah i think they both came from the great depression stuff but honestly the NYS Department of Labor website is confusing about this. i had the same question when i filed my claim after getting fired from my retail job
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Ava Rodriguez
The key thing is that NYS Department of Labor looks at your total earnings during your base period to determine both eligibility and benefit amount. Minimum wage ensures you're earning a certain baseline, but your UI calculation is based on actual wages paid. If you worked part-time at minimum wage, you'll need to check if you met the earnings threshold - I think it's around $2,400 in your highest quarter.
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Miguel Diaz
•Wait, is it really that low? I thought you needed way more than $2,400 to qualify for unemployment benefits. This is so confusing and I can never get through when I call NYS Department of Labor.
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Zainab Ahmed
•I had this exact problem trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about my earnings calculation. After weeks of busy signals, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to a real agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to understand my benefit calculation.
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Connor Gallagher
Both policies were definitely responses to economic hardship but they serve different purposes. Minimum wage sets a floor for what employers must pay, while unemployment insurance provides temporary income replacement when you lose your job. Your UI benefits depend on your work history, not current minimum wage rates.
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AstroAlpha
The whole system is just designed to keep working people down! They make it impossible to understand whether you qualify and then when you do get benefits it's barely enough to survive on anyway.
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Yara Khoury
•I feel you on the frustration but at least there are benefits available. Better than nothing when you lose your job unexpectedly.
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