Just to wrap this up with the key points: 1) Reduced hours due to lack of work = likely eligible, 2) Report all earnings honestly on weekly claims, 3) Keep doing job searches, 4) File every week even if you think you won't get paid, 5) Keep good records. The system is designed to help people in exactly your situation, so don't hesitate to use it.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if your employer offers any work-sharing programs before filing for partial unemployment. Some companies in Washington participate in SharedWork programs where they can reduce everyone's hours instead of laying people off, and the state supplements your reduced wages. It might be worth asking your manager about this option - it could benefit both you and your coworkers who are also dealing with reduced hours. If that's not available, then definitely go ahead with the partial unemployment claim as everyone else has suggested!

Wishing you the best with this situation. It's never easy when employers make these kinds of decisions that force employees to choose between their job and their life circumstances.

I went through a similar situation about 8 months ago when my employer relocated from Bellevue to Yakima. The key thing that helped my case was creating a detailed cost-benefit analysis showing not just the time impact (my commute would have gone from 45 minutes to 3+ hours each way) but also the financial burden - gas, vehicle wear, potential lodging costs, etc. I calculated that the new commute would have cost me nearly $800 more per month and 25+ hours of additional drive time per week. Washington ESD approved my claim in about 2 weeks once I provided all the documentation. Your 4-hour each way situation is even more extreme, so you should have a strong case as long as you document everything thoroughly. Make sure to include any family obligations or other factors that make the move unreasonable for your specific situation.

One thing that helped me was creating a strict budget and cutting out everything non-essential while on unemployment. Every dollar counts when you're getting that little. Also check if your utilities have low-income assistance programs.

I'm in a similar situation - getting $340/week from Washington ESD and my rent alone is $1,350. It's really frustrating because I paid into this system for years thinking it would actually help if I ever needed it. Now I'm having to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. The whole thing feels broken when you can't even afford basic necessities while actively looking for work. Has anyone had luck finding roommates or other ways to reduce housing costs while on unemployment?

I just remembered something important - if you win your appeal, you'll get backpay for all the weeks you were eligible but denied! Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for your appeal hearing. If you stop filing weekly claims, you won't get paid for those weeks even if you win the appeal. I made this mistake and lost out on like $2,600 in benefits.

I'm going through a similar situation right now - was denied for "policy violation" at my workplace where the same policy was completely ignored by everyone including supervisors. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! A few things I learned from my research that might help you: 1. Document EVERYTHING - I wish I had started keeping a log of policy violations I witnessed much earlier 2. The timing of your union grievance vs termination is huge - that's going to be very compelling evidence of retaliation 3. Get your witnesses to write down specific incidents with dates if possible, even if they can't testify live I'm still early in my appeal process but seeing so many people win these cases gives me hope. The selective enforcement angle seems to be the key factor that wins these hearings. Keep us posted on how your hearing goes - there are clearly a lot of people dealing with similar issues who could benefit from hearing about your experience!

I feel your pain completely! I just went through this exact same nightmare two weeks ago. What finally worked for me was a combination of the early morning calling (7:58am sharp) and also trying the Spanish language option first, then asking to be transferred to English-speaking support. Sounds weird but the Spanish queue was way shorter. Also, if you have a smartphone, try calling from a landline instead - I read somewhere that their system prioritizes certain phone types differently. Don't give up! I know it's incredibly frustrating when you're dealing with bills and need answers, but based on what everyone here is sharing, persistence really does pay off eventually.

I'm going through this exact same thing right now! Been trying for over a week and getting nowhere. Reading through all these responses is actually giving me hope though. I'm definitely going to try the 7:58am calling strategy tomorrow morning with the option 2-1-3 sequence that @Natasha Romanova mentioned. Also really intrigued by the Spanish language queue trick - that's brilliant problem solving! Has anyone tried reaching out through social media? Sometimes companies respond faster on Twitter when you publicly mention the issue. Either way, it's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this struggle and that people are actually getting through eventually. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!