by Jane Doe
(Florida)
I had an unemployment hearing on 4/27/10 (I was fired) my employer stated I was not. I had filed a complaint with the EEOC in May of 2009 for discrimination I was the only black and was denied vacation time I had been an employee for 5 years and I was the supervisor of my department after I filed the complaint I was demoted (no reason giving)
At this hearing my employer witness consisted of my boss, their attorney and the lady my positions was giving, a co-worker who was not working that day, and a co-worker who testimony was she didnât see me in the boss area and it was quite that day, all had different testimony, the lady that my supervisor position was giving to testified I told her everyday I wanted to quit and I said it daily, she is my supervisor how many people tell their supervisor? âYou know I want to quit and say it everydayâ. The next witness was the young lady that wasnât there that day but was the gal I was over when I was supervisor, she testified that I told her daily â I would get fired before I quitâ yes I had this conversation with her after I was demoted, I saw the demotion as trying to push me out the door, my work hours got changed I had children in daycare, but my time was to stay after it closed and I said I not making it easy for them by walking out Iâd get fired first. I thought her testimony help me and she was their witness not mines. Last it was the lady who claimed she never saw me in the boss area and it was quite that day. My boss testified that he didnât fire me. When he was asked did he ever have to write me up for anything he replied âNoâ In all my 5 years I have never been written up or spoken to Never! I actually handled an unemployment hearing for an employee in 2007 on behalf of the company which proves I was supervisor and no one assisted me in this hearing I handled this hearing alone. I was fired, I was called in my boss office and told âthere had been a break down in trust and that neither he nor the physicians wanted me there any longer and it stem from the EEOC, prior week to him firing me there was a mediation between my employer and I with the EEOC and I declined to go. On 4/27/10 I swore I had won this hearing I was already receiving benefits reason being investigation revealed I had been discharged and also a good cause for quitting statue, will it took the hearing officer 30days to make a decision and he reversed the prior decisions stating a creditability issue WHEN NO ONE TESTIMONEY WAS THE SAME so Iâm not longer getting unemployment, I filed an appeal with the UAC they stated it take 45 to 90days for them to make a decision, well the 90 days had come and gone and no decisions has been issued, I was however able to submitted ânewly found evidenceâ during my hearing I was sent text messages by a friend who is still employed there telling me that the boss was asking individuals to lie at my hearing, she knew the testimony of the lady who said I wasnât by the boss area, because the lady was upset about being asked to lie but was afraid of getting fired, she named individuals walking into the hearing. She was sending these text messages during my hearing I have downloaded the texts messages and sent them to the UAC, also on 4/20/10 7 days before my hearing I went to the sheriff office and filed a complaint because another friend that works there said he was asking indiduvals to lie, I sent the police report case number included to the hearing officer before the hearing but couldnât use it because I had to submit a copy to the other party which would had made it bad for my friends still working there. I have the hearing tape and all the witness testimony is inconsistent, and unemployment reversed the decisions based on their testimony, I have since filed a lawsuit and they are trying to get that tossed out stating a private whistleblower act, when I filed the lawsuit based on discrimination and wrongful termination. Why is it taking so long for the UAC to make a decision? Is this normal? Why did it take so long for a decision from the hearing officer? Itâs there anyone else I can write the governor the president Iâm upset and broke this is not fair!!!
If it wasnât for a lawsuit they would not be fighting unemployment.
Hi Jane,
If it were me, I’d contact the Office of the Chief Inspector General. Other people have had luck getting action on “unemployment matters by contacting this office.
As far as Florida’s unemployment claims and hearing departments go .. I have nothing good to say about them.
Funny how some hearing officers will toss that work “credibility” around .. probably because they are given WIDE discretion in judging it .. no matter how bad a judge they are.