Gainey Law, PLLC Seattle Employment Law Attorney

As schools plan to open and teachers and other workers wonder what their rights are to Not return to work answers are not as clear as we would like. However, do not make any rash decisions. A lot can change in a few short weeks (isn't that the lesson of 2020?). The non-profit legal aid Unemployment Law Project has been recording weekly FAQs. You can watch them all here:  QUESTIONS?  to find out about your rights as an employer or employee with regards to unemployment benefits. 

These are just quick notes from a Webinar the Washington State unemployment (ESD) office put out today. If you work or worked in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kent or anywhere in Washington State this information applies to you. Current options for Unemployment benefits (ESD) during the Corona virus / Covid-19. Watch the recent webinar here (starts at 27 min. fast forward) . 1. Standby 2. Partial Employment 3. Shared Work (no requirement to look for work ) “WAIVER OF WORK SEARCH” Right now unemployment department is inundated with applications. Normal 3K last week 100K!!!! So go online and apply when everyone else is sleeping. File every week even if denied and keep filing. They can fix it retroactively. Still requires a base year (first 4 quarters of the last five) of work to qualify - must have worked 680 hours. You can combine claims with other states if you moved. You can open a claim while still working full time. Why would you? To see what your benefit ...