Can my husband quit temp job and resume unemployment benefits from original layoff?

Be SUPER careful with this! ESD considers ANY quit very seriously. If he quits without "good cause" they'll deny benefits completely—even from the original layoff! They don't care if it was a temp job or not, quitting is quitting to them. The system is designed to trap people in terrible jobs!!!

Your husband needs to document everything about the unsafe working conditions. Washington state considers unsafe working conditions as "good cause" to quit. Have him take photos if possible, keep texts/emails about the excessive hours, and document any verbal abuse with dates/times/witnesses. When he quits, he should specifically mention the safety violations to his employer in writing. This creates a paper trail ESD will need if they question the quit during adjudication.

same thing happened to me!! quit a awful job & esd put me in adjudication for like 8 weeks!! couldn't get anyone on phone EVER just kept saying high call volume. ended up living off credit cards smh

yeah they finally approved it but only after i got thru to someone who could help. ended up using claimyr.com to get through to ESD after weeks of trying. they have this system that gets you past the busy signals - video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 shows how it works. call got answered in like 25 min vs me trying for weeks with no luck. worth it cuz agent fixed everything right away once i explained

I'm an HR manager and can clarify how this works. When your husband took the temp job, his UI claim didn't go away - it was just reduced or paused based on his earnings. If he quits WITH good cause (which unsafe working conditions can qualify as), he shouldn't be disqualified from his original claim. However, he MUST report the quit correctly on his weekly claim and be prepared for adjudication. ESD will investigate by contacting the temp employer. During adjudication, benefits may be paused until they make a decision. Good cause quits in WA include: - Safety violations - Significant schedule changes from what was promised - Hostile work environment He should keep filing weekly claims during adjudication and answer all ESD questions promptly.

Yes, in the weekly claim, there's a question about whether you worked during the week. After reporting his final hours, there will be a question asking if he's still working there. When he answers "no," it will ask why. He should select "quit" and then there's a text box where he can BRIEFLY explain (like "unsafe working conditions/OSHA violations"). Keep it simple on the claim form - just 1-2 sentences. ESD will contact him for a more detailed statement during adjudication. That's when he should provide all his documentation and a full explanation.

i was in this same boat back in January!!!! quitting is risky but if the job is actually dangerous you gotta do what you gotta do. just make sure ur husband doesn't miss ANY esd calls or emails when they start asking questions. if he misses the adjudication interview they'll just deny automatically and thats a whole other headache to appeal. my first adjudication call came at like 7:30am and i almost missed it!!

it was like 2 weeks after i filed the weekly claim where i reported the quit. but then took another 3 weeks after the interview before they made a decision. so like 5 weeks total with no benefits. it SUCKED but i did get backpay eventually

One thing no one's mentioned - your husband needs to continue doing his 3 job search activities each week and documenting them in his job search log, even during adjudication. I've seen people get denied because they stopped doing job searches while waiting for adjudication decisions. ESD is very strict about maintaining eligibility requirements during these periods.

Quick question - has your husband worked at this temp job for more than 680 hours? If so, that means he's established a new benefit year and everything gets more complicated. If it's less than that (which it probably is after just a week), then his original claim should remain intact if he can prove good cause for the quit.

Based on everything you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. Have your husband document all safety issues and schedule discrepancies 2. Have him quit formally, in writing, citing the specific issues 3. Report the quit accurately on his next weekly claim 4. Continue doing 3 job search activities every week 5. Prepare for 4-8 weeks of adjudication (have financial backup if possible) 6. Answer all ESD communications promptly With proper documentation of unsafe conditions and the misrepresented schedule, he has a good chance of maintaining eligibility from his original claim. The key is documentation and prompt communication with ESD.