Unemployment Benefits

Q&A on Unemployment Benefits for Two-Year Part-time, Contingent Faculty
written by Annette Stofer, AFT Seattle #1789

Annette Stofer is a contingent faculty member at Seattle Colleges' South Seattle Campus. Speaking from experience, she has written a question-and-answer piece that may be helpful in your application for unemployment benefits.

by Sarah Adams, Olympic College

What You Should Know About The Process

Community and Technical Colleges are reimbursable employers. That means, the state of Washington pays them up front for the unemployment benefits the schools expect to pay out. Under current Washington law, whatever monies the schools don’t pay out in benefits gets rolled into a general account for the school’s discretionary use. Briefly, whatever they don’t use, they get to keep. This system gives schools incentive to regularly fight unemployment claims, legitimate or otherwise. Schools hire out-of-state third parties to represent them and it costs them little to do so. (more)