Michigan partial unemployment

by shirley

(mich)

2 questions, i live in Michigan work for a school district(bus driver) they threatened to privatize unless we took consessions we took a 4 dollar pay cut plus cut our hours which puts me making about 16000 per year about 8000 less and figured on the mi site that i would be entitled to a partial if this is allowed as a school employee. second question; in june of last year they gave us a letter of guaranteed job next school year. but they actually were looking into privatizing by oct. i’m sure we would have been eligible for unemployment had we applied but seeing as they gave us a guarantee of employment no one thought about applying. is it possible to go back and get this from last summer or is it to late shirley

Hi Shirley,

No, I doubt you could go back anc collect for a period of total unemployment now

Additionally, you’re a school district employee .. the rules are different for most school employees.

Reasonable Assurance of a return to work is the issue that unemployment departments look at. And if you only work during the school year .. benefits are only paid during the summer if you don’t have reasonable assurance .. that’s what the letters are for.

It’s kind of like being a “seasonal worker”. You can’t collect benefits except in the “season that work is available”.

Comments for Michigan partial unemployment

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Jun 15, 2019
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Bus driver

by: Anonymous

Ok my school district didn’t give reassurance letter but they are protizing so am I able to get unemployment until I get hired by protizing company?

Hi,

I can’t say, if you get unemployment benefits, or not, because when I googled to find out what you may of meant by a protizing company, I got nothing.

I will say, if I drove a bus for a school district and didn’t receive a reasonable assurance letter as usual this time around, that basically reassures me I’m still the employee of a public school when the new school year begins, I’d file for benefits, especially if I was still waiting on actually getting an offer to work for a private, for profit, school transportation company, who may have obtained a contract with my former employer, a school district, to continue transporting kids to school next year.

Chris

Apr 23, 2010
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Partial Unemployment for employees of Michigan School Districts

by: CAH

Michigan Public School question?

My husband is a 12 month employee for one of the public school districts here in Michigan. The school is trying to cut costs like all the other schools. He is a 12 month employee and has been for 27 years. Next school year his job will downsize to 10 months. Is he allowed to claim partial unemployment benefits during those two months

Hi CAH,

If we think unemployment could be more confusing .. look no further that the “special treatment” given to employees of public school districts.

It depends on contracts and state statutes and a concept especially made for school employees called reasonable assurance.

The main issue for School district employees .. isn’t a lack of work, but whether they had “reasonable assurance” of returning to work after a defined break.

I’m going to have to direct you to the MESC decision digest where you will be able to find some precedents of the subject to apply to your husbands new working situation.

I think you should start with Section 5 “denial periods”

Chris