Ithaca Co-Lab

This video examines the unemployment insurance application and appeals process in New York. Including interviews with legal professionals and a former claimant, the video informs viewers on the steps of the UI application process, best practices when applying for UI and what to expect during the application and appeals process.

This student-led video examines unemployment insurance overpayments in New York State. Through conversations with past unemployment benefits claimants, this video shows how strict policing of fault and fraud have worsened the financial hardships facing unemployed workers and their families.

This student-led video examines worker misclassification in New York State’s unemployment insurance (UI) system. Employees treated by their employers as independent contractors, often in violation of the law, struggle to receive benefits, enabling their employers to avoid paying UI taxes.

The 2025 living wage for a single adult living alone in Tompkins County is $24.82 per hour, but almost half of the county’s 48,894 wage earners earn less than that, according to ILR School researchers.

Increasing the Tompkins County minimum wage of $16.61 to a living wage would increase earnings for thousands of workers and reduce racial and gender disparities, according to a new Ithaca Co-Lab report.