Thank you to all who joined us for Brew Review 2025 last week—it was a joy to see so many people come together in support of the Unemployment Law Project. Your presence and generosity made the night a real success.
If you weren’t able to make it this year, it’s not too late to support our work. Every donation helps us to provide free legal help to people navigating Washington’s unemployment system. You can still contribute here.
Whether you joined us for the evening, bid on auction items, helped spread the word, or donated afterwards, you’re part of a community that believes everyone deserves a chance. Thank you for standing with us.
Brew Review is moving back to Spring for 2025! Join us again for a night of community and philanthropy as we gather at a new location, Capitol Hill’s Stoup Brewing, starting at 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 17th, 2025.
The evening’s program will include food, drinks, a silent auction, and two amazing guest speakers: King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck!
Seattle—A crisis of confidence because of often-inaccessible benefits plagues Washington’s unemployment insurance system and requires urgent action, a new study by the Unemployment Law Project (ULP) concludes.
Workers who are forced to leave a job rely on Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) for temporary assistance while they search for new work. But many report a nightmarish set of obstacles. People with barriers including disability, race, gender, or limited technology or English proficiency face even worse challenges in accessing benefits.
ULP recommends significant reform through 1) expanded tracking to ensure equitable disbursement of benefits, 2) two-way communication between agency representatives and claimants and more help with the application and claiming process, and 3) curbing the role employers play in approving and denying benefits. ULP advocates a better system to assist claimants, modeled after the successful caseworker-style approach now available to employers.
Voices of Washington’s Unemployed, financed with a grant from the Families and Workers Fund, makes this call for action based on interviews with 100 claimants about their experience applying, filing weekly claims, appealing denials, and coping with overpayments in 2022 and 2023.
Through the interviews, ULP sought to capture details of claimant experience, see how and why system failures occurred, and make recommendations for reform now—before another financial or public health crisis suddenly causes state unemployment rates to spike.
A perplexing online application
Unemployed workers in Washington are steered to a self-service online application, but are often overwhelmed by the unfamiliar vocabulary and steps required to establish eligibility for benefits. They regularly find their application stalled because they can’t answer questions essential for receiving benefits and can’t get advice on how to do so, the interviews reveal.
ESD provides only a fraction of the assistance required, claimants said—which especially hurts those who speak little English, have disabilities, or lack computer skills or access. Claimants describe being cast adrift to navigate a user-unfriendly application process on their own.
The self-service application process can be an experience in bafflement and sometimes despair. “The sheer complexity of the system can make it difficult for unemployed workers to successfully apply online, but for most, there is no alternative,” said Anne Paxton, attorney and policy director with ULP. “Then, people with questions often encounter a brick wall because of chronically understaffed phone lines.”
“All I could think when I was applying was why would anybody who can do all this stuff need unemployment benefits?” one claimant recalled.
High denial rates
The number of claims that Washington denies confirms the system is unduly harsh. In 2023, Washington turned down 58,621 applications for benefits—more than 48 percent of those filed. That rate is two and three times the typical denial rate of other high-income states like New York, California, Oregon, and Massachusetts.
A claimant who was asked what is the first thing he would do if he headed ESD responded: “I would get rid of the department’s M.O. of delay, dismiss, and deny.”
Each year, only 25 to 30 percent of unemployed workers in Washington receive benefits. Access to benefits is even lower for Black, Indigenous, and people of color; women and transgender claimants; claimants with disabilities; and claimants with limited literacy, English proficiency, or access to technology.
The impact of delayed or denied benefits can be brutal. It can include losing housing, being unable to pay for heat, living without health insurance, or having to rely on a parent’s Social Security retirement income to scrape by.
What will help?
ULP recommends that ESD create an Equity Data Dashboard to track and report how variations in claimants’ race, gender, disability status, education, English proficiency, and other characteristics relate to their chances of receiving benefits.
“Hard numbers on a continuing basis will show who gets benefits when, how difficult the filing process is, what bogs it down, what role employers may play, and how the failures are felt by different demographics and other characteristics,” Paxton pointed out. “Transparency about equity indicators should prompt strong measures to fix inequities.”
ULP also calls on ESD to assist workers the same way it supports employers: by assigning account managers who are available by phone and can conduct two-way communication with applicants about their particular case.
“Washington’s unemployment (UI) system has the potential to provide a reliable safety net to all workers who have lost a job. Setting and meeting equitable-access standards will help with that goal and sustain confidence in the UI system’s ability to protect workers, families, communities, and the state economy,” ULP’s report concludes.
Voices of Washington’s Unemployed is available online or by emailing info@ulproject.org. For questions about the study or other unemployment-insurance policy issues, contact Anne Paxton at apaxton@ulproject.org or 206-441-9178, Ext. 114.
In this issue: Legislative Wins | Brew Review 2023 | Looking Ahead to 2024 | Thanks from the Director
ULP Chalks Up Legislative and Rulemaking Wins
The bill-signing by Governor Jay Inslee on May 4: Second from left is House bill sponsor Rep. Mary Fosse, standing next to Senate Labor Committee chair Karen Keiser, with Governor Jay Inslee at center. The three on the right side are ULP board member Eric Gonzalez, Sybill Hippolyte, government affairs director for the Washington State Labor Council, and ULP policy director Anne Paxton.
By Anne Paxton, ULP Attorney & Policy Director
Six years ago, the Unemployment Law Project lost two cases at hearing and appealed them to the Washington State Court of Appeals over a single issue the cases shared: caregiving inaccessibility.
The first involved hotel cleaner Ayan Ali, a single mother of three children. Like many other workers in 24/7-type jobs, she was denied benefits for declining to work a night shift.
In the second case, Kelly Sennott was denied benefits for quitting a restaurant server job when she found out, only after a few days’ work, that they would be requiring a permanent 5 a.m. start time, impossible with her children’s school schedule.
The judges made it clear, in ruling against Ms. Ali and Ms. Sennott, that Washington’s narrow law didn’t recognize any domestic responsibilities as good cause to quit.
So we redoubled our efforts to get the law changed. In 2022, a rule ULP had proposed kicked in, requiring that workers only be available 40 hours a week, not 24/7. And in the 2023 legislative session, we won an even more important victory through passage of ESHB 1106.
Starting in July 2024, family caregivers will not be denied benefits for a caregiving inaccessibility, whether it involves care of children, elderly parents, or other family members.
Dynamic legislative leaders—Bill sponsors Rep. Mary Fosse and Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, plus House Labor Committee chair Rep. Liz Berry and Senate Labor Committee chair Sen. Karen Keiser—steered this major legislation to passage. For advocacy and advice, we also owe special thanks to grassroots organizations Moms Rising and the United Labor Lobby; Pamela Crone, former ULP director and lobbyist for the bill for several years; and consultant Orlando Cano. ULP also helped with a few other improvements for claimants over the last year:
An unnecessary and onerous set of questions at appeal hearings was halted. We suggested a policy change to fix a problem in our first-level appeals: the mandatory grilling of claimants about their job search and availability in every hearing, whether availability was an issue or not. Now, the 26,000 to 30,000 hearings a year on unemployment benefits will no longer have to waste 5 to 15 minutes on these questions when they are irrelevant to the claimant’s case.
ESD adopted an unprecedented set of new standards to open up waivers of pandemic-era overpayments. ULP helped draft a list of factors that should be taken into account in considering waiver of an overpayment and many of these were radical (e.g., limited English, inability to reach a phone agent to have questions answered, a claimant’s detrimental reliance upon benefits). ESD’s policy team later adopted a new policy for waiver redefining “equity and good conscience” to incorporate almost all of what we recommended.
Some exciting other new rules could also become law. We are advocating a permanent end to the ban on waiver of overpayment where there has been a finding of misconduct, and abolishment of conditional payments altogether.
In December, stay tuned for “Voices of Washington Claimants,” the final report on our “Claimant Experience Project” research funded by the Families and Workers Fund. It’s based on 100 extended claimant interviews on the features, foibles, and faults of the UI system they relied on for benefits.
To cap off a great 2023, ULP was honored to be selected as a finalist for awards to the best non-profit social services delivery organizations in Washington, under BECU’s “People Helping People” program. ULP, recognized in the “Meeting Human Needs” category, was one of 18 finalists from 900 non-profits nominated. This status gives us a $15,000 award and ULP remains in the running for top prizes that would add $25,000 to that award at an ceremony to be held December 7. We are extremely grateful to BECU’s program for this exceptional recognition and support.
Opening the Door to 2024
ULP Spokane staff and interns 2023
By Juliana Repp, Managing Attorney, Spokane
This time of year the spirit of giving spreads kindness across our community as many focus on helping their neighbors in need, and ULP is grateful to be part of such a giving and supportive community. Unemployment benefits are often a lifeline for our clients while they seek full-time employment, but these clients come to us with other needs as well. We believe building relationships within the community is a crucial part to providing a more holistic approach to legal representation and services. ULP is driven by the desire to support our local communities and individuals as they work towards success. Grounded in the labor and social justice movements, our work brings together skilled attorneys, legal professionals, law students, volunteers, and community partners to best defend the rights of unemployed workers in Washington.
In August 2023, ULP, along with a number of other Spokane area organizations, co-sponsored a back-to-school event. Organized by The Way to Justice, the school supply drive provided a new pair of shoes, backpack, and school supplies for hundreds of school-age children gearing up to return to school in the fall. Three of our ULP Spokane staff provided a helping hand by volunteering for the event alongside a plethora of other legal aid and non-profit organizations that came together for a day of fun and sharing. Family fun and community building were an important part of the event, and a number of fun-filled contests and competitions, face painting, and inflatable toys for youth to enjoy were also included. Seeing a wide swath of organizations and members in our community join together for such a great cause was an uplifting experience for everyone!
Along with supporting events in the community, our busy legal interns work hard to find additional ways to strengthen our community. Jesslin Ochoa, a legal intern from our Spokane office, has taken the opportunity to volunteer with Spokane’s Street Law organization. Street Law is focused on teaching and mentoring high school students about their legal rights; by sending law students to different high schools in Spokane, Street Law uses knowledge and awareness to empower youth. A few of their recent presentations provided students with information about their rights around search and seizure, and their right to free speech. These presentations aim to engage students by giving them a platform and the opportunity to ask questions. Not only does the organization educate youth on their legal rights, they also introduce high school students to the idea of law school and a career in law.
This year has been full of growth and opportunity, and reflecting back on 2023, I am proud of the work our interns and staff do at ULP. We believe in outreach, inclusivity, and legal education, especially for those communities who have been historically underserved such as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Partnering and collaborating with other organizations allows us to help more people in need while strengthening the communities we serve. As we prepare to open the door to 2024, we reflect on 2023’s positive achievements and are excited for future opportunities to continue to conquer systemic inequities in our community.
Preventing Homelessness with Unemployment Benefits
Unemployment benefits are an important safety net for many people, but a key demographic served by the program are people who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness. The benefits, in effect, serve as a measure that can prevent homelessness or mitigate the effects of homelessness when someone loses their job. Unemployment benefits are a financial lifeline that can help provide stability, which in turn also helps people stay connected with other resources, continue their education, and find new work.
In addition to providing stability, these benefits can also help with mental health during tough times after losing a job. When someone suddenly doesn’t have work, it can cause a lot of stress and money issues, which can worsen mental health. However, getting financial support through these benefits helps ease these stressors, reducing the chances of relying on urgent care, emergency shelters, or risky living situations.
Finally, the conditions imposed by the unemployment benefit eligibility requirements encourage people to learn new skills, receive more education, or apply for more available work. By investing in these opportunities, people become more employable, spend less time without work, and can further add to their toolset to avoid becoming homeless in the future. Ultimately, unemployment benefits play a big role in stopping or slowing job loss from leading to homelessness, helping people through tough times, and reinforcing hireability.
ULP Wins Legal Foundation of Washington Accelerator Grant
By Juliana Repp, Managing Attorney, Spokane
ULP is thrilled to announce that we are among the nine recipients of the Legal Foundation of Washington’s (LFW) Accelerator Grant! The Accelerator Grants are one-time grants designed to accelerate time-sensitive civil justice work and launch impactful projects for groups that are historically underserved by legal aid. As a recipient of this $60,000 grant, ULP Spokane will select two law student fellows to assist our office in increasing awareness of legal services and support available to Native communities in Eastern Washington. Partnering with Spokane’s largest Native health clinic and local tribes, ULP will offer advice, direction, and representation to Native persons in need, and who are seeking to secure their unemployment benefits. Please stay tuned for announcements regarding fellowship opportunities.
Brew Review 2023 a Success!
By Andy Paroff, ULP Staff Attorney, Seattle
This year, we held our annual fundraiser Brew Review at a brand new location – Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard. Rough & Tumble is Seattle’s only sports bar dedicated to women’s sports and has won plenty of acclaim for its food, beverages, and ambiance. We were very excited to partner with the venue to put on this wonderful event!
As usual, Brew Review was a wonderful gathering of the Unemployment Law Project’s ever-growing community of friends, partners, and supporters. We had a lively silent auction with a diverse array of prizes – from vacation getaways to a signed football from the University of Washington Huskies Head Coach Kalen DeBoer. The food and beverage options, curated and provided by Rough & Tumble, were a top notch sampling of the best Seattle has to offer. And best of all, our program this year featured some amazing guest speakers, including Washington State Representative Liz Berry!
We love Brew Review because it is a chance to spend time with our amazing community. If you have not had a chance to attend in the past, we hope you will consider joining us for Brew Review 2024. As the saying goes, “The more, the merrier!”
ULP Wins $15,000 As Finalist In BECU’s “People Helping People” Awards
ULP was honored this year to be selected as a finalist for the best non-profit social services delivery organizations in Washington, under BECU’s “People Helping People” program. ULP, recognized in the “Meeting Human Needs” category, was one of 18 finalists from 900 non-profits nominated. This status gives us a $15,000 award and ULP remains in the running for the top prizes that would add $25,000 to that award at an awards event to be held in December. We are extremely grateful to BECU’s program for this exceptional recognition and support.
Thanks from the Director
By John Tirpak, Executive Director
In the past year ULP has advised and represented over 1,000 people from all over the state. We provided language access to a diverse range of 38 languages, including Dari, Amharic, Ukrainian, Spanish, Fulani, and more. Our staff, student interns, and volunteer attorneys could not do this important work without the financial support that makes it possible.
Thanks to the Legal Foundation of Washington, the Office of Civil Legal Aid, King County, and the Washington State Labor Council for ongoing support.
Thanks to Jen Barnes of Rough & Tumble Pub, the Seattle Mariners, and El Quetzal Restaurant for hosting successful fundraising events.
We thank Brew Review sponsors MacDonald Hoague & Bayless, Terrell Marshall Law Group, Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt, Frank Freed Subit & Thomas, Deno Millikan Law Firm, Washington Employment Benefits Advocates, and Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Thanks to Rep. Liz Berry for speaking at the event.
Special thanks to former ULP director Martha Lindley for her assistance in getting the BECU “People Helping People” grant award.
ULP will continue to fight for the rights of working people in the coming year. We invite you to join us and look forward to your much needed financial support.
ULP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joseph Shaeffer, President Jennifer Murray, Vice President Jeneé Jahn, Treasurer Eric Gonzalez, Secretary Lillian Kaide Andres Munoz Erin Pettigrew Jennifer Yogi
ULP VOLUNTEERS, INTERNS, & FRIENDS Wendy Bui Meghan Casey Katherine Chen Owen Greene Lexi Hanson Alexandra E Harris Rayneece Hebert Griffin Hehmeyer Michelle Hesse Anna Marie Horak Alex Johnston Andrew Kuna Christa Langdon Shaw Lowry Anna Mattson Brooke McDaniel Marni Meritt Elliot Min Saisunee Moonsatan Janet Moran Quinn Nessen Jordan O’Connor Jesslin Ochoa Gracie Pakosz Bruno Ponce Archana Prabhakar Ariana Quijada Dakota Rakestraw Rhiannon Rasaretnam Sarah Santry KD Singh Chris Sohn Trey Trusty Naomi Zamarripa Cruz
ULP is thrilled to announce that on Thursday, April 6, the Washington state Senate voted to adopt ESHB 1106, a bill that ULP helped develop and has pursued for six years to reform unemployment benefits to protect family caregivers.
Already passed by the state House of Representatives, the bill will shortly be on the way to the governor for signature. It means that caregivers who are faced with impossible workshift conflicts or care facility closures may receive unemployment benefits if they quit in order to find a new job.
This bill, which takes effect July 7 2024, fixes a destructive hole in the unemployment insurance safety net for family members caring for children, elderly parents, or other vulnerable adults If they are forced to quit a job because caregiving has become inaccessible
Washington’s restrictive good-cause-to-quit list covers some situations such as dangerous workplace conditions or a family member’s illness or death—but caregiving inaccessibility has been conspicuously absent. This omission is a relic of a long-past era when women’s domestic responsibilities were not considered relevant to employers’ needs.
When signed, the new law will halt the exclusion of family caregivers who have outside jobs—a majority of whom are women—from access to benefits when they have no choice but to quit their job because a change of workshift or a local condition such as a day care center closing has made family caregiving impossible.
The law will make two other important changes: A parent who needs to move to be closer to a minor child may quit with good cause, and all workers whose employer imposes a six-hour or more change in their normal work shift may also quit with good cause, with some restrictions. A last-minute compromise added a five-year sunset date to the bill, together with a requirement that its impact be assessed.
We owe this long-sought success to dynamic legislative leaders—House bill sponsor Rep. Mary Fosse, House Labor Committee chair Rep. Liz Berry, Senate sponsor Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, and Senate Labor Committee chair Sen. Karen Keiser—who enthusiastically supported this major legislation and steered it to passage.
Grassroots support from Moms Rising and the United Labor Lobby, and dedicated outreach and persuasion by Maggie Humphreys and the Washington State Labor Council’s Sybill Hyppolite were also essential to making this expansion of good cause quits a reality.
We send special thanks to ULP supporters who urged their legislators to vote for this reform. Successes like these, bringing desperately needed reforms to Washington workers’ access to benefits, would not be possible without your support. Thank you!
This Thursday, April 6, the Washington state Senate will vote on SHB 1106, a bill that ULP helped develop to reform unemployment benefits to protect family caregivers. The bill has already passed the state House of Representatives and this is the final vote needed. Please ask your state Senator to vote for SHB 1106 on Thursday to assure that caregivers faced with impossible workshift conflicts or care facility closures are protected by unemployment benefits law.
This bill fixes a critical hole in the unemployment insurance safety net for family members caring for children, elderly parents, or other vulnerable adults. If they are forced to quit a job because caregiving has become inaccessible, they can receive unemployment benefits to look for another job.
Washington’s restrictive good-cause-to-quit list covers some situations such as dangerous workplace conditions or a worker’s or family member’s illness—but caregiving inaccessibility has been conspicuously absent. This omission is a relic of a long-past era when women’s domestic responsibilities were not considered relevant to employers’ needs.
The Senate vote is a milestone for this bill, which ULP has been supporting over the last six years to correct an injustice. That is the exclusion of family caregivers who have outside jobs—a majority of whom are women—from access to benefits when they have no choice but to quit their job because a change of workshift or a local condition such as day cares closing has made family caregiving impossible.
Outstanding leaders—House Labor Committee chair Rep. Liz Berry and bill sponsor Rep. Mary Fosse and the bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña— have led the campaign to get this important legislation passed. SHB 1106 is a priority of the United Labor Lobby, led by Washington State Labor Council, and Moms Rising as well as the Unemployment Law Project.
In this issue: Race Equity | Brew Review 2022 | Policy Updates | ULP Events | Thanks from the Director
Advancing Race Equity in Spokane
By Juliana Repp, Managing Attorney, Spokane
The Spokane ULP Office was fortunate to be awarded a race equity grant from the Legal Foundation of Washington in September of 2021. As part of our grant proposal we named a Carl Maxey Race Equity Fellow to assist with planning a legal aid summit and outreach event focusing on the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities in Spokane. We selected ULP intern, LaShawn Jameison, a Black law student who was in his first year of law school at the University of Idaho College of Law, as our Carl Maxey Race Equity Fellow.
We invited Sandy Williams, Executive Director of the Carl Maxey Center, along with Camerina Zorrozua and Virla Spencer, Co-founders of the Way to Justice, to partner with us on this project. We planned a four-part BIPOC-led and focused event for August 16, 2022 to be held at the Carl Maxey Center, here in Spokane.
The first event of the day was a mini-CLE course: Advancing Race Equity In Spokane’s Legal Community. In lieu of payment, we asked participants to make a contribution to the Carl Maxey Center. The CLE was approved for 1.75 credits of Ethics credit per APR 11(f)(2) (anti-bias in the legal system/profession).
The second part of our event which we named Bridging the Gap: Forging Connections Between the BIPOC Community and Spokane Organizations, had three parts: 1) a Community Resource Fair; 2) a Community Dinner; and 3) Speaker Panel: BIPOC Voices in the Spokane Community. Participating organizations included: The Carl Maxey Center, Unemployment Law Project; The Way to Justice; Team Child; Kalispel Tribe of Indians; Latinos en Spokane; Northwest Fair Housing Alliance; The Native Project; Spectrum Center; Gonzaga School of Law; the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force; and the YWCA of Spokane.
Finally, we hosted a soul food dinner to coincide with a Speaker Panel: BIPOC Voices in the Spokane Community. LaShawn Jameison and Rayneece Hebert, Spokane ULP interns, presented for ULP. The Way to Justice; TeamChild; and Latinos en Spokane also presented at this event. Sandy Williams also presented her vision and long-term goals for the Carl Maxey Center, including plans for a coffee shop, library, and civil rights center.
The ULP is grateful that we were provided the opportunity to partner with Sandy Williams and other community organizations for these events. In memory of Sandy, we remain committed to her long time work toward race equity in our community.
Fixing the System, Post-Pandemic
By Anne Paxton, Attorney & Policy Director
Helping unemployment benefits claimants with appeals gives us many windows into what’s wrong with the system. Whether you win or lose a client’s appeal, you often walk away thinking the rules, or the way they are implemented, could be so much fairer. Making that happen is the main goal of ULP’s policy program.
Just assuring that claimants can get help with their application would fix many problems. As one claimant said: “It felt like an intimidating maze of language I didn’t understand and couldn’t navigate. I wished I could speak directly with a real live person about my particular case, so I could say: This is the situation, am I eligible? And get some real answers on eligibility versus just what my employer was telling me.”
In 2022, ULP’s policy program hit some reform milestones and we continue to push for improvements on several fronts:
ULP attorneys are in our third year of meeting monthly with the Employment Security Department’s policy team to discuss our concerns about handling of claims and develop solutions. ESD has a new overpayment waiver plan for some 150,000 claimants who were ordered to pay back pandemic benefits they received. Rolling out this policy has been slow but we are hopeful that it will ease the unfair financial burden for many claimants.
This year a job search reform ULP worked on for four years took effect through rulemaking. Workers classified as having “24/7” jobs no longer have to be willing to accept any shift an employer offers them in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits.
We formally petitioned ESD to clarify that workers who are on a non-paid leave of absence from an employer are eligible for benefits. Rulemaking to fix obsolete wording on this eligibility is underway.
ULP is fighting to prevent the use of automated facial recognition —mostly using digital analysis of selfies—to verify people’s identity. ESD has had a contract with the company ID.me to check claimants’ identity but has paused implementation of ID.me’s biometrics technology due to the security risks and technology issues it poses, especially to claimants with limited English.
ESD’s eServices system is another focus for ULP because it is often out of sync with the realities of remote work and online classes. For example, taking courses should no longer mean you don’t have time for full-time work, but the application for benefits still asks if claimants are in school. “I didn’t know how to answer because it seems that that disqualifies workers from benefits,” a claimant told us. “But all of my courses are online and I study in the evenings.”
We have been interviewing claimants in detail about their experience with applying for benefits, with the aid of a grant from the Families and Workers Fund. Former staff attorney Lavena Staten and new staff attorney Sayer Rippey have conducted several dozen interviews so far. This Claimant Experience Project is providing many heartfelt insights, like the quotes above, about what needs mending.
We all want to see unemployment benefits administered fairly and promptly to any claimant who is eligible. ULP contributors and friends have been essential to efforts to improve the system. Our sincere thanks for your support.
The Unemployment Law Project wants to interview you!
The Unemployment Law Project is offering $25 for 30- minute phone interviews about your experiences with unemployment and the unemployment insurance system. Interview responses will help ULP present policy and rule-change recommendations to the Employment Security Department, with the goal of making unemployment benefits more accessible and equitable. Anyone who lost a job in Washington State is eligible, regardless of whether they filed for unemployment benefits – if you’re interested, email sayer@ulproject.org or call 503-860-3335.
A Summer Smash: Brew Review 2022
By Andy Paroff, Staff Attorney, Seattle
During the pandemic, ULP had to radically rethink our annual fundraising events. Historically, Brew Review has been our crown jewel – an evening of music, beverages, and shared community. In 2020, we moved Brew Review online (or OnVine, depending who you ask) for the first time and delivered beverages to participants’ houses.
This year, we returned to an in-person event in July at the University of Washington School of Law’s outdoor terrace. We had never held the even outdoors before, but wanted to be careful about COVID transmissibility and felt that an outdoor event was worth risking the Seattle weather. To our delight, it was a beautiful day and guests, staff, and volunteers had a blast!
On display was the vibrancy of the ULP community; delicious local food, beer, wine and cider; and amazing music provided by Greenhaus Radio. We appreciate everyone that participated in this year’s Brew Review and can’t wait to see you all again for an even better event in 2023.
Reopening the Rooftop: Building Community at the Community Building
By Wesley Groot, ULP Staff Attorney, Spokane
The Unemployment Law Project’s (ULP) Spokane Office is located in The Community Building, a brick building nestled in an eclectic and vibrant area of downtown Spokane on Main Avenue near the river. It is a unique neighborhood with a uniquely friendly feel. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Building and its partner the Saranac Building would be a meeting place for various businesses to put on events for the community. The Community Building management would also host events for the non-profit tenants in the building.
One of these events was a recurring barbecue on the rooftop of the Saranac Building. These events were designed to be opportunities for the organizations in our Community/Saranac buildings to mingle, interact, and build connections with others who worked in our building hub. These events were put on hold due to the COVID pandemic when that sort of carefree mingling was met with much more cautious apprehension.
After a 2 year hiatus, all of us who work in the Community Building received an email in October letting us know there would be another long-awaited rooftop community barbecue. Plans were immediately made for the office to attend the event. We arrived at the event and saw a welcomed sight — a number of our neighborhood coworkers enjoying good food, talking, laughing, and smiling. It was great meeting new faces and organizations who have not had the chance to interact much at all during the peak of the pandemic.
It was a lovely event and a great time to meet others who worked so nearby but whose day-to-day paths did not intersect. Below the surface it was more than just food being grilled on the roof of an office building. It was a welcome return to normalcy, and a representation of moving forward in the aftermath of COVID-19. A special thank you to any and all of the staff at the Community Building and The Saranac who helped put on this event. One of these organizations is a non-profit which focuses on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and they provided us with our “Say No to nukes” signs.
Thanks from the Director
By John Tirpak, Executive Director
The year 2022 has brought ULP many high and low points. We appreciate the community support for the organization. We have been able to provide direct representation for unemployment claimants in over 1000 hearings in the past year.
We want to thank all of the students and volunteer attorneys who have worked so hard to provide excellent representation for people all over the state. ULP’s ability to represent so many would not be possible without their dedication and enthusiasm.
We mourn the loss of Sandy Williams of the Carl Maxey Center. Her tragic death on Labor Day came only weeks after the Spokane BIPOC Event that ULP organized in cooperation with the Carl Maxey Center and other community organizations in Spokane. We thank them for their support and for continuing Sandy’s work.
In June ULP hosted Brew Review 2022 at the UW School of Law. About 75 people enjoyed local beer, wine, and cider. The food from Chi Mac was great and the event raised money for ULP. We thank the staff, students, and board members who made the event possible, and we’re so glad we got to see people again.
We thank Way to Justice, Horn of Africa, Carl Maxey Center, Refugee Women’s Alliance, Somali Community Services, Iraqi Community Center, Teamsters Rideshare Drivers, Fair Work Center, Asian Counseling & Referral, and the other community organizations that have worked with us in the past year.
The attorney referral panel funded by the Office of Civil Legal Aid provided representation at hearing for hundreds of claimants in the past year. Unfortunately, the panel will end after this month due to an end to the contract. We wish to thank all of the attorneys for their hard work and the Office of Civil Legal Aid for the funding.
We would like to thank the Office of Civil Legal Aid, Legal Foundation of Washington, King County, and the hundreds of individuals who have made donations to ULP in the past year for their financial support. This support allows us to continue this important work. We look forward to continued support in the coming year.
ULP STAFF John Tirpak, Executive Director/Attorney, Seattle Juliana Repp, Managing Attorney, Spokane Anne Paxton, Staff Attorney & Policy Director, Seattle Hyun-Ji Lee, Senior Staff Attorney, Seattle Meg Bridewell, Staff Attorney, Seattle Andy Paroff, Staff Attorney, Seattle Wesley Groot, Attorney, Spokane Sayer Rippey, Attorney, Seattle Ahmed Abdi, Outreach Coordinator, Seattle Jason Arends, Office Manager/Paralegal, Seattle Siem Hok, Legal Assistant, Seattle Shi Ya Ni, Legal Assistant, Seattle Nick Taylor, Legal Assistant, Seattle Fahad Aljafn, Legal Assistant, Spokane Kai Johnston, Legal Assistant, Spokane
ULP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joseph Shaeffer, President Jennifer Murray, Vice President Jeneé Jahn, Treasurer Eric Gonzalez, Secretary Amanda Ballantyne Lillian Kaide Andres Munoz Erin Pettigrew Jennifer Yogi
ULP VOLUNTEERS, INTERNS, & FRIENDS Alexia Johnston Allyson O’Malley-Jones Ashley Magpali Carmen Adams Christa Langdon Cierrah Loveness Dan Hayward Dante Tyler Edward Peters Emily Ganz Emily Marvin Griffin Hehmeyer Hugh McGavick Jacob Roes Jakob Salazar Jane Zhen Zhao Jessica Nguyen Joel Nichols Jordan O’Connor Joseph Phillippi Juliana DeFilippis Katherine Chen Keira Montgomery LaShawn Jameison Laura Unterseher Lindsey Franklin Meghan Casey Naomi Zamarripa Cruz Olivia Johnson Parmida Salehi PJ Morgan Rayneece Hebert Rhiannon Rasaretnam Saisunee (Patt) Moonsatan Samuel Ariyevich Samuel Miller Sarah Bodisco Selma El-Badawi Siham Ayoub Spencer Bishins Susan Straka Trey Trusty Wendy Bui Zhixuan (Candice) Hu
UPCOMING EVENT
Join ULP for Dinner to Support Our Community Outreach Programs!
Date: Jan 28 2023 Time: 7 – 9 PM Location: El Quetzal, Beacon Hill, Seattle Tickets available here
Join us Thursday June 16, 12 to 2:30, to train as a pro bono volunteer attorney for the Unemployment Law Project. Email Anne Paxton to learn more»
To all Washington attorneys:
Interested in a volunteer opportunity that provides litigation experience, lets you use your skills to help jobless workers, and gives you two CLE credits? If the answer is yes, we invite you to an upcoming training for pro bono volunteers of the Unemployment Law Project.
This two-hour session by Zoom—scheduled for Thursday, June 16, from 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m.—will provide you with the basics of unemployment law and the hearing process and brief you on how to represent a client who is appealing a denial of unemployment benefits. The training is useful for new attorneys and for attorneys experienced in unemployment law and/or hearings who wish to have a refresher.
Following this session, we normally ask new volunteers to observe a couple of hearings by our staff attorneys to become familiar with the process; then you would be ready to take a case of your own. We can provide any assistance you would like as you develop your arguments and prepare the claimant for the hearing. (These are administrative hearings and average time to prepare for and participate in one of them is about 5 or 6 hours.)
During the COVID-19 crisis, Washington’s unemployment program paid benefits to hundreds of thousands of claimants. At the same time, however, tens of thousands of claimants were denied benefits and filed an appeal. With the backlog of cases, thousands of those appeals have yet to be resolved.
The Unemployment Law Project (ULP) is a primary resource for these claimants. But even though our staff attorneys have taken on increased caseloads, we must turn some appellants away. Volunteers to assist us with hearings are essential to meet the need. It’s fulfilling work, and there is a side-benefit: Pro bono volunteers receive one hour of CLE credit for each hour, up to 24 hours, they provide legal services through ULP, which is a Qualified Legal Service Provider.
To participate in our pro bono program, please contact ULP policy director Anne Paxton at apaxton@ulproject.org. We would love for you to sign up for the June 16 training.
** For potential volunteers with conflicts, we also have pre-recorded options and can fill you in on how to watch them; however, many volunteers prefer the live training because of the opportunity to ask questions on the spot.
Thank you for your willingness to provide your legal expertise. Your help has never been more needed.
[English Below]
¡Nuestro proyecto de ley está avanzando! La Senadora Saldaña ha introducido SB5438 lo cual creará un programa para dar beneficios de desempleo a trabajadores en el estado de Washington. Esto es solo posible por la presión que hemos puesto!
Pero necesitamos mostrar MUCHO apoyo para conseguir que más senadores apoyen este proyecto de ley SB 5438.
Puedes enviar un mensaje a tu Senador/a para que firmen su apoyo para beneficios por desempleo a trabajadores inmigrantes? ¡Tenemos que actuar ahora!
Our unemployment insurance bill is here! Senator Saldaña has introduced SB 5438 which will create a program to give unemployment benefits for undocumented workers in Washington state. This is only possible because of the momentum we have built together!
But we need to show HUGE support for the bill by getting as many Senators to support SB 5438!
Can you email your Senator to have them sign-on in support of unemployment benefits for undocumented workers? We have to act now!
The New Year brought a change in Washington law that directly affects at least 3.2 million people in our state—that is, everyone currently or potentially eligible for unemployment insurance benefits when they lose a job. The change, which kicked in January 2, 2022, is a new rule governing the hours that unemployment benefit claimants must be available to work. (See revised WAC 192.170.010 effective January 2, 2022).
For anyone to collect benefits, they must be able and available for full time work as long as it is suitable work based on their experience and other qualifications. But until now, our state has given many employers unusual latitude to require people they hire to be available to work on almost any schedule.
That meant that if you were unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits, you were required to accept a job in your occupation that was offered to you during hours customary to your occupation, even if there were no set hours, even if there was mandatory overtime, even if the hours conflicted with your child care responsibilities or other family care obligations or other responsibilities such as a separate part-time job. If you refused, your benefits could be denied or you could be hit with an overpayment.
The law is much more straightforward with Washington’s new Hours of Availability rule. Now, as long as you are available for at least 40 hours a week during your occupation’s customary hours, you can choose which hours and which days.
There is one caveat: The 40 hours you choose cannot significantly restrict your ability to find a job. For example, if you can only work from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and there are no jobs in your field with those hours, you will not be considered available to work. But as long as your chosen hours do not substantially limit your employment prospects within your general area, declining a job offer with other hours will not affect your eligibility for unemployment benefits.
In addition to allowing you to choose your hours of availability, the new rule adds your own prior work shifts to the elements of a job that will help determine whether it is suitable work for you. For example, if you have generally worked a daytime shift in your occupation, now you will not be required to accept a job with a swing shift.
The new Hours of Availability rule promises to make life, work, and job-seeking less stressful for unemployed workers in Washington. The Unemployment Law Project wishes to thank the Employment Security Department for developing this rule in response to concerns ULP raised about hardships created by the old Hours of Availability requirements, especially for family caregivers.
Note: One important protection in Hours of Availability policy for the unemployed remains to be adopted. If your current employer changes your hours and they create a conflict with the schedule under which you have been working—for example, they would keep you at work after your child’s day care center is closed—right now you do not have the right to quit the job and receive unemployment benefits. The Unemployment Law Project and other advocacy groups including MomsRising are supporting legislation in the 2022 session (HB 1486) so that a change in work-hours that makes caregiving for which the employee is responsible inaccessible would constitute good cause to voluntarily quit a job and seek new work.
