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Amid Historic Layoffs & Fraud, Unemployment Workers Are Determined to Help WA Residents
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Amid Historic Layoffs & Fraud, Unemployment Workers Are Determined to Help WA Residents

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a quarter of the U.S. labor force, close to 43 million people, have filed for unemployment benefits. Washington state has been the hardest hit. Between a surge of fraudulent claims originating overseas as well as a record number of legitimate claims, the equivalent of 30 percent of the workforce has filed for unemployment insurance. Employees at the Washington state Employment Security Department (ESD) like Beth Toms, an Intake Specialist in the Spokane office who serves as the Secretary Treasurer of WFSE Local 1221, have been working around the clock to process unemployment claims.

Amid Historic Layoffs & Fraud, Unemployment Workers Are Determined to Help WA Residents