Essential Services and Benefits

Important Update On Essential Services & Benefits


The International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades and its national affiliate HHWA have been working tirelessly to keep our members safe, healthy, and working throughout this coronavirus pandemic. With your personal and financial wellness in mind, we have been working around the clock in conjunction with our high-profile lobbying firms to ensure that our core industries were deemed essential services by state and local government to keep our members working, in order for them to continue to receive a paycheck and to maintain their benefits. Employees of essential businesses, including homecare, should continue to report to work.

Without the quick action and political clout that the IUJAT brought to bear on state and local government it is doubtful that the majority of our members’ jobs would have been saved. For members in services that have not been deemed essential by the government, rest assured the IUJAT is still here to advocate on your behalf, and we’re doing everything we can to prevent the mass terminations that many non-union employees are currently experiencing. Many of the Federal programs that are currently being negotiated by Congress to provide relief to workers and businesses are a result of the efforts of unions like the IUJAT. In addition to our political efforts, the union has been busy working with the employers under contract doing what we can to prevent temporary closures, mass layoffs, and terminations by, among other things, negotiating rotating shifts and shorter work weeks to keep as many of our members working as possible.

This is a challenging time for us all, but we are inspired by the strength and determination of our working men and women to persevere through this crisis, as we see communities rise to the challenge of protecting and supporting one another. Together, we will get through this.

Below are some of the resources available to help support our members and communities impacted by this crisis. Please check our website regularly to get updates, as these benefits are continually evolving. If you have questions, please contact the union through the online tools we have recently provided you with.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: UNEMPLOYED MUST CERTIFY ***WEEKLY*** TO RECEIVE BENEFITS

FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES PEOPLE RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO CERTIFY <<<EACH WEEK>>> THAT THEY ARE UNEMPLOYED.


Unemployment Benefits Information

NEW YORK unemployment benefits information:

NEW JERSEY unemployment benefits information and applications, NJ-FMLA, short term disability benefits, and more:

CONNECTICUT unemployment benefits information:

PENNSYLVANIA unemployment benefits information:

COLORADO unemployment benefits information:


Paid Sick Leave Benefits

NEW YORK offers paid leave benefits up to 12 weeks at 60% of pay up to $840.70 and expands leave qualification to cover parents who have to stay home with children whose school or daycare provider is closed due to COVID-19:

NEW JERSEY offers paid leave benefits to 12 weeks at 85% of pay up to $859:

CONNECTICUT provides up to 40 hours of paid leave for FMLA purposes. Presumably this will apply to the new federal FMLA Expansion Act:

PENNSYLVANIA – no statewide law;  only in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh


Family Medical Leave Laws

NEW YORK – see the above sites for paid sick leave benefits.

NEW JERSEY offers enhanced benefits and pay over federal requirements:

CONNECTICUT’S manual for FMLA benefits:

PENNSYLVANIA complies with federal FMLA only:



Other Helpful Informational Sites

NEW YORK’S general website for all matters relating to COVID-19. An interactive site on which you can submit questions and get answers:

NEW JERSEY’S interactive website on which questions can be entered and answered in real time on a variety of COVID-19 subjects:

CONNECTICUT’S general information site with links for help:

PENNSYLVANIA’S general COVID-19 information site with links to other agencies and help:

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION


We encourage our members to take the recommended precautions necessary to safeguard their health and that of others. Please check our website regularly for important updates regarding COVID-19 and related changes to unemployment and leave benefits. Be safe, stay healthy, and know that your Union is here for you.


This content is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is intended for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.