by Nina
(Az)
After being unemployed for serveral months I was hired in 09/08 by a staffing agency and was laid off on Thanksgiving of 2008. I then applied for unemployment benefits in AZ and was approved. I received unemployment benefits until 06/09. In 08/09 I received a letter stating the staffing agency is denying my unemployment benefits because I signed a contract and broke company policy and was considered a voluntary quit. Among the dozen of papers I signed when I was hired, it stated I was to call within 24 hours for the next 7 days to be assisgned another job. I admit I did sign the papers and did not fully read them. When I looked at the copy of the papers given to me I had to get a magnifying glass to read the small, blurry policy. So the judge ruled in the staffing agency favor due to negligence on my part. I am appealing it and feel it should be negligence on both parties and should not have to pay back the entire amount paid! Because a policy affecting reasons for termination of employment is serious and should have been explained when hired or when I was laid off. Also, because the staffing agency did not respond to approve or deny the request for unemployment benefits from the state of Az until 8 months after I applied for benefits and had already received 6 months of payments. Do I have a chance at winning this appeal or am I out of luck and will have to pay back about $7000?
Nina,
Did you do a search of this website regarding “temporary worker provisions”.
I think if you did you find this old lady screaming about how if you do work for a temp agency to “BE CAREFUL”.
First it is not the employer that denied you .. it is the employer which used the AZ regulation which finds not contacting the agency as prescribed as a voluntary quit without good cause.
Why does everyone wait until it’s too late to pay me the paltry $50 bucks I charge per hour to discuss just this kind of stuff?
Tell me this .. did the hearing notice have an employer timeliness issue .. given you say they did not respond to the state?
When a claim is filed for unemployment benefits it is assumed you know the laws. Appealing on the grounds that the print was tiny of the notification the employer is required to give you does not provide an excuse to overlook the law that controls.
If I sound harsh, I apologize, but nothing you stated makes me think you have a chance at changing that decision. I feel bad for you, but I couldn’t help you by warning you when you quit by not calling for further assignments and I can’t help you now that you’ve already had your hearing.