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More clarity on rules for getting jobless benefits

Date Posted: April 19 2013

LANSING – The state’s Unemployment Agency has issued a clarification to a prior clarification for unemployed building trades union workers filling out jobless benefit forms.

This comes from Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council President Zane Walker, based on information sent to him from the state office of Licensing and Regulation.

The state Unemployment Agency has implemented a new policy to clarify and simplify the process of letting them know that claimants are searching for work through a union hall.

Members who are collecting unemployment insurance benefits should file Form 1583 on a monthly basis and follow the directions below.  It is our understanding that with this form filed on a monthly basis our members will not be required to accept a job from any source other than the union hall.   Form 1583 can be printed from the pdf file at the web link below.

Claimants who can receive work only through a Union Hiring Hall must submit Form UIA 1583, Monthly Record of Work Search to the Unemployment Insurance Agency.  http://michigan.gov/documents/uia/1583_268058_7.pdf

  • On Form 1583 claimants should write at the top the following wording:  “Only hired through union hiring hall.”
  • The claimant must also list the name, address, phone number and contact person for the union hiring hall at least once on the form.
  • This form is considered complete if it contains this information.

The work search can be submitted online through the UIA homepage at www.michigan.gov/uia, or by mailing to:  Warehouse/OMSC, 14333 Woodrow Wilson, Detroit, MI 48238-2812.

As we reported in our March 22 edition, early this year many jobless building trades workers seeking UI benefits were expressing confusion about whether the new state rules required that they go to individual employers to seek work, and keep notes of their contacts. Steve Arwood, the Unemployment Insurance Agency director of licensing and regulation, said that process is not necessary for the first 120 days of benefits. After 120 days, they would have to search for work outside their union hall.