In Florida, off-the-job conduct may put your unemployment benefits at risk

In Florida, off-the-job conduct may put your unemployment benefits at risk

A just-passed overhaul of Florida's unemployment laws gives employers the ability to challenge jobless benefits to former employees for behavior that has little to do with how they conduct themselves at work.

The provision permits businesses to fight a worker's benefits claim based on "misconduct, irrespective of whether the misconduct occurs at the workplace or during working hours."

In essence, it allows the business to cite a worker's private behavior as a reason to deny benefits.

For example, owners of a delivery company, who can now fire a driver cited for reckless driving, could also challenge his right to benefits even if the offense occurred while he was driving his own car on his own time.


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/legislature/os-legislature-unemployment-benefits-20110511,0,5752009.story

full employment act. They will search until they find anything to deny benefits.

Imagine "The Jungle" and the red in fang and claw communities we'd live in if that phrase had held sway over the past 130 years.

"IT'S A HARD RAIN THAT'S A FALLIN'"

I once worked for a place that ran alternative schools where the teachers or other employees sometimes drove the students on field trips. Employees had to maintain an acceptable driving record and could be fired if they did not.

In that case, the off-the-job behavior clearly meant the employee was unqualified to do the job -- and it's possible to think of similar situations, particularly where children are involved.

But what I got from reading the story is that the problem is not with the obvious situations but with the fact that the new law does not spell out clearly what constitutes job-related behavior, making it possible to deny unemployment benefits for trivial and irrelevant reasons.

People with a record, people with a bad driving history, and people with a poor credit score already have trouble getting a job.

What happens when people are homeless on the street in addition to all of these other things?

who said no to the extension. Thanks, Walker.

Are rick scott just cheers along, fuck this state so hard.

excuse to deny you benefits than it will be to pay you benefits until you find a new job.

There is always something in anyone's background that can be twisted, maligned or lied about in order to deny you benefits.

Anyone can be scapegoated.

This principle is about to go mainstream in order to create a more permanent underclass, just so companies can save more money.

:(

Ever file a WC claim and get subjected to an IME?

The real scumbags will do such a number on your medical/employment history you wont recognize yourself.

There are also firms that your 'former employer' can contract with to handle the UC claims process upon

termination,to fight legit UC claims,and get them denied.If these 'firms' don't succeed they cause delays.

Shitbag bottomfeeder businesses,like debt collectors,all a slimy group thriving from these fresh hells the rw's

and their 'sponsors' brought us.