Maximum unemployment check goes up

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's maximum weekly unemployment benefit is going up $10 for people who file new claims starting Sunday.

State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said the maximum benefit will go from $255 a week to $265 a week. The increase is the second of two that the Legislature approved last year.

The increase is only for new claims filed on or after Sunday. Surtees says the increase will help struggling families until they can find new jobs.

Unemployed Alabamians can file jobless claims either by phone (1-866-234-5382) or on the Department of Industrial Relations' Web site .