Yes, and they could terminate him (absent a signed contract stating otherwise) for refusing the new hours. Employment “at will” is no guarantee of employment at all.
But if they terminate him without cause, they probably become liable for unemployment benefits. You’d be surprised the extent to which employers will go to avoid that. :eek:
Employer here. Yes, I would like to avoid unemployment compensation claims. I own a business with the general idea of making a profit. I also see abuses of the system. People seeking employment with no intent of working, just the long-term goal of being in position to collect UC. People filing when they have no legitimate claim, hoping that the employer does not file to stop them. So yeah, employers are teh evil.
They are if they are engaging in illegal activities to avoid the payment of legitimate claims, which, as you know, is what my statement was about. :rolleyes:
The best thing is to look for a new job and forget the creeps. Life’s too short to try to make every scammer redress his tricks. After a long muddy process they just start doing it again. Life’s like that.
I have to concur with Brazil84.
I have known a few smaller businesses in my day and the people who run them. They hate, hate HATE unemployment insurance and get very annoyed at their ‘rate’ increasing because they lay off too many people. So, if the OP didn’t fill it out incorrectly, I could easily see them forging the document so they can lay off ‘for cause’.
I say report it. If people were to report all incidences rather than let it slide, then companies would have a harder time doing this.
However, the if govt agency blows you off, not much you can do.
Remember, many of these companies do the old ‘insurance claim’ trick of denying your first claim hoping you won’t press it. This company may lay you off and tell you it was ‘for cause’ so you won’t get unemployment hoping you’ll take them at their word and not try and they know if you DO try, you’ll get it.
If this happenned to me, I’d be inclined to memorialize the facts related to this paperwork and send them, via certified mail with return receipt requested, signature confirmation required, to either the owner or the HR department at the business in question.
Might get me fired, but I’d have the satisfaction of knowing that all the facts were on the table.
Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. If you were in the jurisdiction where I’ve been admitted to the bar, there wouldn’t be any unemployment insurance to worry about anyway…
I don’t quite follow that. Could you elaborate please?
I understand the signature required part, but not the “memorialize the facts related to this paperwork” part. Does that mean “save to memo file” or something else?
Ah. I should have been more clear.
Were I in your shoes, I’d write down the specifics of what has happenned thus far and inform both human resources and the boss what has gone on.
It removes any ambiguity on your part.
I’d rather straighten out any misunderstandings I have with an employer at the beginning than continue dealing with said misunderstandings and get into he-said she-said ambiguities and wind up getting lied to repeatedly.
It also lets them know I’m not stupid.
There’s a very good chance this move would get me fired and do little good, but I’d suspect shitcanning was in my immediate future were I in your shoes, period.
Added on edit:
Okay, regarding record-keeping, I’d photocopy the actual document I was sending. I’d also hold onto the little card that the post office sends you with the signature on it.
Again, this is somewhat of a jack-ass move, but your scenario is jack-ass laden than Johnny Knoxville’s last movie…