PA UC weekly work search exemption for union members - still required to use CareerLink?

i think union ppl still gotta do the work search. my boyfriend is in 420 and he has to do it every week

If you're in a union with a hiring hall that you regularly check in with, you may be exempt from the regular work search requirements, BUT you need to request this exemption specifically. It's not automatic! When I was collecting UC in 2023, I had to submit the Union Member Work Search Exemption form (UC-480) and get it approved before I could stop doing the regular work search activities. Until you receive confirmation that your exemption is approved, continue doing and reporting your weekly work search activities through PA CareerLink. Don't risk your benefits by assuming the exemption applies automatically.

As a union member, you need to file form UC-480 (Union Member Work Search Exemption) to be exempt from the regular work search requirements. Until that form is processed and approved, you MUST continue doing your weekly work search activities and logging them as required. You can find the form on the PA UC website under "Forms" or through your dashboard. Make sure your union officer completes their section confirming that you're in good standing and actively seeking work through the union's hiring hall. After submitting the form, keep doing your work search activities until you get official notification that you're exempt. That notification will come either through your dashboard or by mail.

THIS IS SO ANNOYING!!! I went through the EXACT same thing with my IBEW membership last year and it was a total nightmare!!! I submitted the UC-480 form THREE TIMES and they kept "losing" it. Meanwhile they put a hold on my payments because I wasn't doing the regular work search (because I thought I was exempt). Ended up without benefits for 7 WEEKS while they sorted it out!!!

Yeah I eventually got back paid but only after I spent like 2 weeks calling NONSTOP. The UC phone lines are completely useless - busy signal every single time. I finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at PA UC after being on hold for about 20 minutes instead of days of trying. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Totally worth it to get my issue fixed and get those 7 weeks of backpay. Just make sure you keep records of EVERYTHING.

I used it back in January when my benefit year was ending and I needed to speak to someone ASAP. Got through in about 30 mins when I had been trying for 3 days on my own with no luck. Not sketchy in my experience, just saves you the time of redialing constantly.

wait so even with the form do you still have to check in with the union every week?? how does pa uc know youre doing that?

My cousin works for UA and said they get work search waived automatically. Maybe different for different unions?

Just wanted to add my experience as a Laborers Local 57 member - I filed the UC-480 form about 3 months ago and it took almost 6 weeks to get approved. During that time I kept doing the regular CareerLink work search activities like everyone else suggested. The key thing is to submit it as soon as possible because the processing time can be really long. Also make sure your business agent or whoever signs off for the union fills out their section completely - mine got rejected the first time because they missed one signature line. Once it was approved though, my weekly certifications got much simpler since I just had to confirm I was still checking in with the hall regularly.

I'm actually going through this exact same situation right now with Teamsters Local 623! Just got laid off from my trucking job two weeks ago and was so confused about the work search requirements. Based on all the info here, I'm definitely going to file that UC-480 form ASAP and keep doing the CareerLink stuff until it gets approved. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - sounds like it's worth the paperwork hassle to avoid getting payments held up later. Going to call my business agent tomorrow to make sure they know what they need to fill out on their end.

Just to add another perspective - I'm with Carpenters Local 158 and went through this process about 8 months ago. The UC-480 form is definitely the way to go, but here's something I learned the hard way: make sure you understand exactly what your union's "regular check-in" requirements are before you file the exemption. My local requires members to physically sign in at the hall every Tuesday and Thursday, not just call in. I almost got my benefits suspended because I was only calling to check my position on the list instead of showing up in person. The exemption form makes you responsible for following your specific union's rules, so double-check with your hall what that actually means for Local 401. Better to know upfront than find out during an audit!

Just went through this exact process with IBEW Local 98 about 4 months ago! Definitely file the UC-480 form ASAP but here's something nobody mentioned - when you submit it online through the PA UC portal, take screenshots of EVERY page including the confirmation page with the submission number. I had to resubmit mine twice because they claimed they never received it, even though I had the confirmation emails. Also, after your union rep fills out their section, have them make a copy and email it to you before they send it in. That way if PA UC "loses" it again, you can resubmit immediately instead of waiting for your rep to fill out a whole new form. The whole process took about 5 weeks for me once they actually received it properly, but those backup documents saved me weeks of hassle when they initially claimed it was never submitted.