Will quitting a union job with reduced hours for more work elsewhere affect ESD eligibility?

I think ur husband should be ok. When I was working construction and my hours got cut from full time to like 18 hrs a week, ESD said that was good cause to quit. they have some rule about significant reduction in hours being a valid reason. BUT make sure he documents the exact hours he was getting vs what he used to get!!

According to ESD regulations, a 25% or greater reduction in hours or wages qualifies as 'good cause' to voluntarily quit. Based on what you described (40 hours down to 15-20), your husband's situation clearly exceeds this threshold. However, he should carefully document this reduction. I recommend having him: 1. Get the hour reduction in writing from his employer if possible 2. Keep copies of pay stubs showing the before/after hours 3. Document any communications about the 'temporary slowdown' This documentation will be critical if he needs to file a claim in the future. Also, since he's moving directly to new employment, the 'quit' may never even come up unless he files for benefits later.

I had a similar situation last year but with plumbers union. Hours went from 40 to about 25 per week. I found another job and quit. Six months later that job ended and I filed for unemployment. Had to go through adjudication because of the quit, but they ruled it was with good cause due to substantial reduction in hours. Just make sure your husband keeps documentation of the reduction - paystubs are good, but an email or letter about the reduction is even better. ESD will look at this if he ever has to file a claim that includes that employer in the base year.

THE UNION JOB PROBABLY HAS BETTER BENEFITS!! tell him to think twice before quitting!! sometimes these slowdowns only last a few weeks. my cousin quit his union gig and regretted it big time

has he talked to his union rep?? sometimes they can help find more hours at different job sites or with different contractors if your in construction. worth a phone call before quitting maybe

I work for ESD (not in claims though) and I can tell you that substantial reduction in hours is definitely considered good cause for quitting. The specific threshold is 25% or more reduction in hours or pay. From 40 to 15-20 is well beyond that threshold. He should be fine if he ever needs to file a claim that includes that employer. Keep records though! ESD will definitely want proof of the reduction during any future claim investigation.

Tried calling ESD to ask this exact same question last month when my hours got cut. Spent DAYS trying to get through just to have them hang up on me when I finally reached a person. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent confirmed that substantial reduction in hours (25% or more) is good cause for quitting. Worth checking out if you want direct confirmation from ESD about your husband's specific situation.

One more thing to remember - since your husband is going directly to new employment, this might never even become an issue unless he files for unemployment that includes that union employer in his base year. When you file for unemployment, ESD looks at your work history for the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. So if he works at the new job for a while before ever needing to file, the union job might not even be in his base year calculation.