3545 W. Peterson Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60659
773.267.5858
Fax:773.267.8805
Carpenters Local Union 58
IDES Responding to Surge In UI Applications; Pro-Worker Rules Set
The Illinois AFL-CIO leadership held a conference call with Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)
Director Thomas Chan late last week to answer questions about response to layoffs related to the coronavirus outbreak. Acting quickly as layoffs mount, Gov. JB Pritzker issued emergency rules to expedite unemployment benefits to those affected by the COVID-19 crisis. This includes ordering the waiting week (first week of unemployment status) waived, so that those getting unemployment will get compensated for the waiting week on the first unemployment check.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security filed an emergency rule on Friday, with input from labor, that work search rules are expanded to ensure that workers who cannot seek work outside of the home due to contracting the virus or taking care of a loved one can qualify for unemployment benefits. Prior to this rule, a worker who could not leave home would not have qualified. This emergency rule would allow a worker laid off for any reason to look for online to work from home. This emergency rule and current work search rules do not change current requirements that a laid-off worker calling the union hall is considered an adequate work search or for workers who have a return date from the employer of less than 10 weeks.
For more information: https://bit.ly/2UJjcVl
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