taking ESD to court over unemployment benefits

For months we’ve been pushing for the state’s unemployment agency (ESD) to treat people fairly, communicate clearly, and pay benefits promptly. But the agency has failed to do its job.

That’s why lawyers are taking ESD to court. And by completing a quick survey to share your experiences with unemployment benefits, you can help make the case for the courts to step in.

Our unemployment system has been plagued by delays, confusion, and chaos. We're more than 3 months into the coronavirus crisis, and tens of thousands of unemployed people are still waiting to receive any benefits at all. Making matters worse, ESD has handled reports of fraud by adding delays on top of delays, cutting off benefits entirely, and even freezing some workers' bank accounts.

It doesn't have to be this way — ESD can make changes to put workers first and pay benefits promptly. And thanks to a lawsuit filed by our friends at the Unemployment Law Project, they just might have to. We're filing a legal brief in support of the suit, and your experiences can help us make the case for action.

If you’ve filed for unemployment this year, take our quick survey and help us make the case against ESD. No matter how your claim went, your info can help — we'll put it all together into a legal brief we'll  use to show the courts why they need to step in and fix our unemployment system.