The unemployed struggle as Washington’s coronavirus crisis lengthens

At the start of the closures triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, people were told any layoffs would be temporary and that government checks would cover their expenses.

But people caught up in the reality of this crisis are finding that’s not always true.

One in 10 people of working age in Washington state have filed for unemployment.

Guion Rosenzweig was laid off from her construction job when Gov. Jay Inslee ordered non-essential businesses to shut down, in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The Sunday following the order, she was up early to make her unemployment claim. Rosenzweig had all her records in hand, ready to file online. And because she got up at 4:30 a.m., she had no trouble gaining access to the Employment Security website.

Except she couldn’t complete the application. The state had the wrong information about her employer. There was no way to provide the new information online. The application stopped cold.

Rosenzweig hopped on the phone to the Employment Security Department first thing that Monday morning. But the call center was swamped.

“It rang and rang and rang,” she said. “And then it came up with a message that said, everybody was busy, and it hung up.”

Making an appointment online was clearly the answer. But many people had found that option before she did. The next appointment available was in mid-March.

Now it could be June by the time Rosenzweig sees her first unemployment check. She has savings, and is also eligible for the federal stimulus money that has been landing in bank accounts this week.

But Rosenzweig said the experience is frustrating and destabilizing, and she worries for people in her situation who do not have savings.

The Employment Security Department says the best way to file for unemployment is to do it online. It’s also been working with employers to iron out difficulties that could complicate workers’ online applications. But some workers, like Rosenzweig, still need access to someone who can help.

The head of the Employment Security Department, Suzi LeVine, said the agency has been hiring as fast as it can.

“We know that people like her are hurting and are trying everything we can to resolve this,” LeVine said in an interview.

LeVine also said that people often choose to call the agency when they could find answers on the agency’s website. This is happening in a period of demand so large it surpasses even the Great Depression.

Since the beginning of March about 500,000 Washingtonians have filed a new claim for unemployment — a precipitous end to a sustained jobs boom.

While Rosenzweig expects her construction job will be there when this crisis is over, that may not be true for everyone.

Last week, Recreational Equipment, Inc. -- aka REI -- said it would permanently eliminate a quarter of all the jobs at its head office in Kent. That’s around 350 people, including Jodi-Ann Burey.

She’d been working at the company for only a few months, in a role that does not generate revenue for the retailers.

"And so I kind of felt like it was coming,” she said.

REI did not say why permanent cuts were necessary.

Now Burey is starting over, in the middle of a pandemic. She has been able to apply online for unemployment without difficulty. She’s mulling questions that need to be answered at a time when movement is restricted and opportunities may be limited.

“Am I in a good situation right now where I could just hang out in Seattle for the summer? Absolutely not. I have to make choices and I have to make them quickly. It's not going to be good, but it'll be fine.”