THIS!!! The system is DESIGNED to let employers get away with this garbage. They'll make you PROVE every little detail while just taking whatever BS the employer tells them at face value. It's so rigged against workers it's not even funny.

As someone who's dealt with ESD claims before, I want to emphasize that you should file ASAP and don't let Safeway's tactics discourage you. What they did - systematically reducing your hours from 2 days to 1 day to zero without notice - is textbook constructive dismissal. Make sure when you file that you clearly state you were "available and willing to work" but your employer eliminated your position. Also, since you mentioned the hostile work environment and safety concerns, document those too as they can support your case that this wasn't a voluntary separation. The fact that they gave your shift to another employee "to help her out" rather than offering you alternative hours shows this was their decision, not yours. Keep copies of everything - your work schedule, any emails or texts, and definitely that photo you took of the new schedule. ESD sees cases like this all the time, especially from grocery chains trying to avoid paying into the unemployment system.

Bottom line: if you worked consistently for the past year or so, were laid off or fired for non-misconduct reasons, and can actively look for work, you probably qualify. The Washington ESD website has an eligibility tool that can give you a preliminary assessment before you file.

Based on what you've described - working for 18 months and potentially being laid off due to company downsizing - you should likely qualify for Washington unemployment benefits. The key things to verify: 1) Your wages during the base period meet the minimum requirements (at least $5,400 total or $3,600 in your highest quarter plus 1.5x that amount overall), 2) The layoff is truly due to downsizing and not misconduct on your part, and 3) You're able to work full-time and actively search for jobs. Since you've been employed consistently for 18 months, the wage requirement shouldn't be an issue. I'd recommend filing as soon as you're laid off - don't wait thinking you need to job search first, as there's a waiting week anyway. Just make sure to register with WorkSource right away and be prepared to document your job search activities from week one.

By the way, make sure you're properly documenting your job search activities each week! Even while waiting for initial claim approval, you need to be doing 3 job search activities weekly. ESD has been randomly auditing job search logs more frequently in 2025. My neighbor got disqualified for 4 weeks of benefits because he couldn't provide proper documentation when they audited him.

I went through this exact situation last year with my retail job. My employer missed the deadline by about 2 weeks, and ESD approved my claim based solely on my information. However, I'd recommend being extra careful about how you describe your separation - if there's any ambiguity between "layoff" and "termination for cause," ESD might still investigate even without employer input. Since you mentioned your boss was critical of your work before the restructuring, make sure you have that layoff documentation ready and emphasize the business reasons (restructuring/position elimination) rather than any performance issues. The good news is that most claims in this situation do get approved, especially if you were truthful about being laid off. Keep filing those weekly claims and stay patient - it took about 4 weeks total for mine to get approved back then.

One thing nobody told me - even in adjudication, you MUST keep filing weekly claims! I didn't know this and stopped filing while waiting for my adjudication to finish. When I finally got approved, I only got paid from the weeks I had actually filed claims for, not from my initial application date. Don't make my mistake!

I'm in a similar situation right now - filed 3 weeks ago after being laid off and my employer is definitely going to contest it. They're already claiming I had "attendance issues" even though I only missed work twice in 2 years due to actual illness. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying! From what I'm gathering, the key seems to be: file immediately, keep filing weekly claims no matter what, document everything, and prepare for a long wait if it goes to adjudication. I've been screenshotting my timecard records and saving all my performance emails just in case. Has anyone had success getting through ESD's phone lines during specific times of day? I've been trying to call in the mornings but no luck so far.

One other thing to consider - have you checked what your weekly benefit amount might be? The calculator on ESD's website is pretty accurate. Knowing that number can help with your budgeting while you wait for approval. Also don't forget that the first week is a waiting week (you don't get paid for it) so factor that into your calculations too.

I filed for unemployment in February after being laid off from my retail job, and my experience was somewhere in the middle of what everyone's describing here. It took about 3 weeks total to get my first payment, but that included one week where I had to provide additional documentation because my employer initially said I "quit" instead of acknowledging the layoff. The key thing that helped me was being super proactive. I called ESD every few days to check status, and when they said they needed more info, I uploaded everything within hours. I also kept detailed records of every conversation and reference number they gave me. One tip that might help - when you do your initial filing, take screenshots of every page and save confirmation numbers. My claim got "lost" in the system for a few days and having those screenshots helped the agent locate it quickly. Also, if you have direct deposit set up, payments come faster than waiting for a debit card to arrive in the mail. Hope your layoff goes more smoothly than expected, and definitely start gathering all that documentation now like others suggested!