I'll attack this from two angles, just to cover all the bases:
1. As a TN (as opposed to an H1-B), while you describe your job and remunerartion as part of your petition, your employer --unlike H1 -- is not obliged to pay you that wage continually. So, from the aspect of TN, this program, and the fct that you are no longer working full-time (when your TN petition may have stated this) is not a problem. Your TN is still valid,
without any modifications required.
2. All temporary foreign workers (TN, H1, OPT, etc) are ineligible for any state UI following a layoff, under the dictum that you are not immediately available for work (this has been decided severl times in several states) even if you could get new TN in a matter of hours, so, if this were a 'pure' lay-off, you would be ineligible without first returning permanently to canada to collect.
From the general UI website:
Can individuals who are not U.S. citizens collect UI benefits?
To collect UI benefits aliens must establish that they were in satisfactory immigration status and authorized to work in the United States when earning the wages used to establish their claim. In addition, the claimant must provide proof that they remain in satisfactory immigration status and are authorized to work each week that benefits are claimed. EDD verifies immigration status and work authorization through an electronic system maintained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
This would clearly indicate tha tyou could not collect 'regular' UI, since your TN would no longer be valid after a lay-off.
3. As to this specific program, you would need to look at the wording as to whether collecting UI for the missing days is predicated on looking for other work. If this is the case, then you are probably going to be denied. In fact, there may even be specific wording in the program regs that prohibits you getting UI thru this program.
From the program website:
Employees approved to participate in the program must meet regular Unemployment Insurance claim filing requirements.
Based on this, the fact that your TN remains
valid and active for this employer, you should be eligible. The only possible exclusion I can see is if you are required to look for work in the interim (which does not seem likely, given it is a reduction in hours, not a layoff).
Based on the above, I would be filing a claim along with your co-workers.
