Lost my job after company downsized due to tariffs - Washington ESD claim question

Yes, you definitely qualify for regular unemployment benefits through Washington ESD. Layoffs due to economic conditions like increased costs from tariffs are considered involuntary job loss, which makes you eligible for UI. The fact that there's a possibility of recall doesn't affect your eligibility - you can still file your weekly claims as long as you're actively seeking work.

Same thing happened at my manufacturing plant 2 months ago. Filed my Washington ESD claim right away and got approved within a week. The key is being honest about your availability to work even if your old company might call you back someday.

Had trouble getting through to Washington ESD when I needed to speak with someone about my claim status after a similar layoff. Found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get connected to an actual agent without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier.

The whole tariff situation is destroying our local economy. Three factories in my area have shut down completely, not just layoffs. It's gonna be a bloodbath when all these claims hit Washington ESD at once.

Update: I filed my initial claim yesterday and it went through the system smoothly. Now I'm just waiting to see if it goes into adjudication or gets approved automatically. Fingers crossed!

wait so if my company says they laid me off because of supply chain costs going up, that's the same thing right? I wasn't sure if I qualified

This is exactly what I was worried about happening to my job. We import a lot of raw materials and management has been talking about 'cost pressures' for months. Did your company give you any advance notice?

Filed for unemployment after my import/export company closed last month due to trade disruptions. Washington ESD processed my claim normally - they don't really care about the underlying economic reasons as long as you lost your job through no fault of your own.

My brother works at a steel plant that's been cutting shifts because of tariff impacts. He's down to part-time hours - can he still get partial unemployment benefits from Washington ESD?

The ripple effects are crazy. My logistics company is losing clients because their suppliers can't afford the new costs. Haven't been laid off yet but I'm preparing my resume just in case.

This is happening all over the state. My cousin's furniture factory just announced they're closing permanently because they can't afford the lumber tariffs. Hundreds of people are gonna need unemployment benefits.

Just want to say this thread has been super helpful. I was stressed about whether my tariff-related layoff would qualify me for benefits, but sounds like it's pretty straightforward.

Another update from someone who went through this - got a callback interview with a different company already! The job market in manufacturing is weird right now, some companies struggling while others are picking up the workers.

Been trying to call Washington ESD for 3 days straight about my pending claim from a similar layoff situation. The phone system is absolutely useless - keeps hanging up after an hour on hold.

Question about job search requirements - do I need to apply to jobs in the same industry that's being hurt by tariffs, or can I branch out to other sectors?

Final update: My claim got approved! No adjudication needed since it was clearly an involuntary layoff. First weekly claim payment should come through next week. Thanks everyone for the advice and reassurance.

Bookmarking this thread for future reference. Never know when these economic disruptions might affect more of us.

Used that Claimyr thing someone mentioned and finally got through to Washington ESD about my adjudication issue. Turns out they just needed one more document from my employer. Problem solved in 10 minutes after weeks of trying to call.

Thanks for this thread. My plant hasn't laid anyone off yet but we're all nervous. At least now I know what to expect if it happens.

This whole situation is such a mess. Politicians make these trade decisions and regular working people pay the price. At least Washington ESD seems to be handling the claims properly.

I'm in a similar situation - my company just announced they're cutting 40% of staff due to rising material costs from trade policies. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful. It sounds like the key points are: file immediately after layoff, be honest about the economic reasons, document job search activities properly, and don't worry about the specific tariff details when filling out the application. Has anyone had luck with retraining programs while on unemployment? I'm wondering if this might be a good time to learn some new skills while I'm job hunting.