Your greatest fear just happened. How will the bills get paid? Your company plans on fighting unemployment...stress is setting in and you feel like your at your end.

Don't throw the towel in just yet!

Example.... say the company had a policy regarding NO alcohol on Company premises. If found to have it you could be terminated as this was a Major Offense.

Your confused...you got fired because someone claimed to have seen a six pack in the backseat of your car. Your company says you violated policy and therefore are terminated. Your not allowed to give a rebuttal. Your not allowed to question the company about them having beer and other alcoholic beverages in the lunchroom. They didn't give you a chance to ask why then was it allowed for your boss to drink after first shift, on Company premises, and in front of second shift?!?!?!

Have all your facts handy...write them down..including dates and times..give it to the unemployment investigator and let him/her do their job...investigate. Just because the Company picks and chooses what they consider "Misconduct", doesn't mean you lose out on unemployment..the investigator may see it differently from the Company.

Also remember you have the RIGHT to inspect and review your personel file held by the company! If you feel you the company will be stacking the file with false claims, then exert your rights and review that file!!

Don't laugh...examples like the above can happen. We know of one where the employee was fired because someone else CLAIMED (No proof) that they saw the employee smoking a cigarette by their car. The next day the employee was fired at the door...no room for rebuttal...didn't even have the opprotunity to collect items in his locker. This employee was a dedicated employee, only time he missed work was when he hurt his back and had a doctor's excuse...always on time...no complaints over the work he did..nothing! This employee also claims the accusation about smoking was FABRICATED. The unemployment insurance investigator found in favor of the employee... also this employee exerted his labor rights and demanded that the company pay him for overtime back pay...the company required that the employee not leave the premise for lunch, but did not pay him for his time spent for "on duty" lunch...this resulted in over 500 dollars of back overtime pay!!!

Do you want to find out if there have been situations like yours before. You can search circuit court unemployment cases from one of our links at the left hand side of the webpage. Look for the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commision Link.