Job Or Self-Employment Lost Because Of Hurricane? You May Qualify For Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Folks who normally don't qualify for unemployment assistance, such as business owners, may qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance if they are unable to work due to one of the hurricanes that hit the U.S. Even if you only lost your job for a short time, you should look into this. It's your money, after all. This is part of what your payroll taxes have been paying for.

Here's what the Benefits.gov website says about who qualifies:

In order to qualify for this benefit your employment or self-employment must have been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States. You must have been determined not otherwise eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits (under any state or Federal law). 

Payment will be made to an unemployed worker, who as a direct result of a Presidentially declared major disaster: 

• No longer has a job.
• Is unable to reach their place of work.
• Cannot work due to damage to the place of work.
• Becomes the head of the household and is seeking work because former head of household died as a result of the disaster.
• Cannot work because of a disaster-incurred injury.

You have to apply in the state/territory where you live. Each state/territory has its own site for applying.

To apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance in Florida, start here. Here's the announcement about it. You only have until October 16 to apply. Florida's announcement says you qualify if you:

• Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
• Are not able to work or perform services because of physical damage of destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster;
• Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income;
• Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits from any state;
• Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Became the breadwinner or major supporter of a household because of the death of the head of household.

 Texas's announcement is here. You have until October 30 to apply. You can apply here.

Georgia's site for applying is here. You have until October 19 to apply. The announcement is here.

The list of disaster assistance available for Puerto Rico is here, and it includes disaster unemployment assistance. I haven't found any announcement yet. Deadline is 30 days from the announcement. Puerto Rico's unemployment compensation websites appear to be down, but a list of them is here.

The list of disaster assistance available for the U.S. Virgin Islands is here and it also includes disaster unemployment assistance. I haven't found the announcement yet. Deadline is 30 days from the announcement. USVI's unemployment compensation website is here.

Dear Business Lawyers: Stop Trying To Get Employees To Waive Their Unemployment Benefits

Things you didn't think you had to say but apparently do. In Florida it is still illegal to try to get an employee or former employee to waive their right to apply for unemployment. It's a crime. Yet I've seen a couple of draft releases in proposed severance agreements attempting to do exactly that. And I also recently got a demand email complaining that a client had signed a release and was therefore breaching by filing for unemployment.

Let's be clear. You can't ask an employee to release or waive their right to unemployment in my home state of Florida. Period.

Here's what the statute says if you don't believe me:

443.041 Waiver of rights; fees; privileged communications.—
(1) WAIVER OF RIGHTS VOID.—Any agreement by an individual to waive, release, or commute her or his rights to benefits or any other rights under this chapter is void. Any agreement by an individual in the employ of any person or concern to pay all or any portion of any employer’s contributions, reimbursements, interest, penalties, fines, or fees required under this chapter from the employer, is void. An employer may not directly or indirectly make or require or accept any deduction from wages to finance the employer’s contributions, reimbursements, interest, penalties, fines, or fees required from her or him, or require or accept any waiver of any right under this chapter by any individual in her or his employ. An employer, or an officer or agent of an employer, who violates this subsection commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

After a brief bout of research, it looks like lots of other states also prohibit this practice. I've found laws prohibiting such waivers in New York, Texas, Minnesota, Maryland, California, North Carolina, and Missouri. That's a pretty good sampling of pro-employer and pro-employee states, so I'm guessing your state may prohibit this as well.

For some reason I have to say this about every ten years or so. The management-side employment lawyers know better. It's the employers who handle business/corporate law who decide to dabble in employment law who need to be reminded.

Therefore, I am saying it. Now cut it out and stop torturing people who have lost their jobs.

Rant over.

What #Employmentlaw Regulations Will Trump Scrub?

As the inauguration gets closer, the new Trump Administration is making lots of promises about what they intend to do. Apparently number one on the list is undoing as many of the Obama Administration's Regulations and Executive Orders as they can. I already talked about some Executive Orders that benefit employees of federal contractors that are at risk. So what else may disappear or change soon?

Here are some employment-related regulations to keep an eye on:

• OSHA retaliation procedures: OSHA has issued new procedures for handling retaliation complaints under various laws, such as Procedures for the Handling of Retaliation Complaints Under Section 1558 of the Affordable Care Act. 
• Federal unemployment rules: DOL implements rules on federal unemployment compensation, which provides extra compensation to the unemployed during periods of high unemployment. The latest, Federal-State Unemployment Compensation Program; Implementing the Total Unemployment Rate as an Extended Benefits Indicator and Amending for Technical Corrections; Final Rule, could be in for a change. Other rule changes on unemployment to watch for will be those relating to drug testing of applicants.
• Overtime regulations: DOL regulates minimum wage and overtime rules. The latest rule changes could be overturned. Watch for changes to, for example, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees.
• Safety regulations: OSHA has tightened safety standards on many industries. These include the very recent Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica; Correction and Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems).
• Social Security disability: Whether you qualify for disability benefits can be determined by very specific rules. Some recent ones at risk include Unsuccessful Work Attempts and Expedited Reinstatement Eligibility, Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Mental Disorders, and Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Neurological Disorders.
• EEOC: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issues regulations and guidance for determining whether various types of illegal discrimination have occurred. Some recent changes include Regulations Under the Americans With Disabilities Act and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
• Federal Employee ethics rules: We just saw the attempt to limit ethics requirements in Congress. Some ethics rules to watch include Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch; Amendment to the Standards Governing Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts from Outside Sources and Interpretation, Exemptions and Waiver Guidance Concerning the Federal Criminal Conflict of Interest Statute Prohibiting Acts Affecting a Personal Financial Interest; Amendment to Definition of “Employee”.

These are just some examples of the many, many executive branch regulations that could change soon. The truth is that nobody has any idea what the new administration will actually do. Both employers and employees are justifiably nervous about what may happen in the next four years. Stay tuned.

It's Time To Revamp Florida's Unemployment System

In an excellent piece by Marcia Heroux-Pounds of the Sun-Sentinel, the severe deficiencies of Florida's unemployment system are exposed. Bottom line is that our lovely governor and his friends in the legislature have made it almost impossible for people who have lost their jobs to collect unemployment. If they do collect, they are put through hell, and then the government tries to screw them out of their money by demanding it back.

As a taxpayer, I have to ask: why are we allowing our state government to torture people who have lost their jobs? We have a ridiculously low maximum weekly rate of $275, which is barely grocery money for many people with kids. We max out at 14 weeks, when most states give benefits for 26 weeks. We make these folks who have lost their jobs, which is as traumatic as losing a loved one, jump through hoop after hoop for this piddly amount of money. And we're finding more and more ways to justify excluding them from the system by blaming them for their unemployment.

This affects Florida taxpayers directly in the wallet. Unemployment is essentially an insurance policy that employers pay for each employee as part of their payroll. That means every single Florida employee should be protected. By denying these benefits, we end up forcing the unemployed onto food stamps, welfare, and other taxpayer-supported benefits.

I think it's time to turn the tables. We have at-will employment in Florida, like 48 other states (Montana is the only state without at-will employment). That means employers can fire employees because they are in a bad mood, didn't like the employee's shirt, or for no reason at all. While many states have exceptions to the at-will doctrine, like violations of public policy, implied contract, and violating the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in an employment relationship, Florida has none of these.

So we, as taxpayers, are footing the bill for employers who make arbitrary employment decisions. Why not make employers who fire employees without just cause pay for their arbitrariness? Why not lift the maximum rate employers can be charged to these arbitrary employers? Why skew the system to punish employees but not employers?

Here are some things we could demand, as voters, to change the system:

Raise the rates: If employers are found to have abused the system by firing an employee without cause, raise their unemployment rate to cover 100% of the unemployment compensation payments being made for that employee, minus any payments they already made into the system for unemployment compensation. Employees who abuse the system have to repay. Why not employers?

Ban scofflaws from hiring: Employees who owe repayments to unemployment are barred from applying again until they have repaid in full. If employers fail to make the payments for their arbitrary firings, ban them from hiring new employees until they are caught up in payments. Why should they be allowed to continue their arbitrary practices without paying the piper?

Mandatory training: Employees who apply for unemployment have to jump through hoop after hoop to get unemployment. Employers who are found to have fired without just cause should have to take mandatory training, which could be done online, on employee management, progressive discipline and what constitutes just cause for firing.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of my tax dollars supporting employers who have huge turnover due to at-will employment. It's time to make employers pay if they don't treat employees with a reasonable level of fairness.

More Pro-Employee Bills To Watch In The Florida Legislature

To their credit, some Florida legislators are doing their darndest to try to fix Florida's anti-employee legal climate. I wrote about some pro-employee bills filed, and now there are some more to keep an eye on this legislative session:

Banning employer fraud: A bill proposed would make it illegal for an employer to procure an employee's services fraudulently, and also beefs up anti-retaliation provisions for employees who complain about unpaid wages.

Pregnancy discrimination: Two identical bills would add pregnancy to the protected classes under the Florida Civil Rights Act. I'm not sure why this is being done in light of the Florida Supreme Court's ruling last year that pregnancy is already protected.

Overtime: Another bill changing Florida's overtime pay law from 10 hours per day to 8 was withdrawn, but this new bill replaces it.

Bullying: A second bill that would ban workplace bullying has been filed.

Unemployment: A bill that would modify unemployment qualifications is a mixed bag. It would protect victims of domestic violence but also would disqualify disabled employees who turn down a reasonable accommodation offered. Disabled employees will now face a trial over their discrimination claims in the unemployment proceeding if this bill passes. Overall, I think it's more anti-employee than pro-employee.

I'll be keeping an eye on these bills during the session. Wanna bet that zero pro-employee bills will pass? I won't hold my breath that this legislature or governor would do anything to help the majority of its working citizens.

My Employer Says I Have To Resign. What Should I Do?

Suzanne Lucas, the not-at-all-evil Evil HR Lady at CBS Money Watch, wrote an interesting piece about being forced to resign, and I wanted to talk some more about this important issue here. I get this issue all the time. People come to me and say, “I was forced to resign.” Huh? How did the employer do that? Gun to head? Torture devices? Kidnapped loved one? Because your employer can’t make you quit. Quitting is entirely, 100%, up to you.

Just because your boss or HR comes to you and says you have to resign, doesn’t mean you should. My usual advice is never, ever resign unless you have another job lined up or the company offers you an incentive to resign that makes it worth your while.

Suzanne Lucas says you should ask these questions/say the following before resigning:

• How much severance will you give me in exchange for my resignation?
• If I resign, will you oppose unemployment?
• Why do you want me to resign?
• What will you say when you are called for a reference?
• I will take this and have it reviewed by my attorney before signing.
• I need this in writing.
• What will be my official "reason for termination" be in your HR system as well as my paper file?

I agree 100%. You need to weigh your options carefully before agreeing to resign. Now is the time to negotiate. If they want you gone, let them pay you to go away. Otherwise, make them fire you. You need to consider the upsides and downsides to resigning versus being fired. Here are some things to consider.

Why You Shouldn’t Quit

You haven’t complained about illegal harassment or discrimination that occurred: It may be a bit late in the game, but if you didn’t follow the company’s written policy on reporting harassment based on race, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, etc. then you may lose potential claims against the employer. Now is the time to put together your formal, written complaint of discrimination and harassment. Submit it to HR as soon after the meeting where they asked you to resign as you can. If you think the resignation request is being pushed by your harasser, say so. Tell them how others of a different race, age, sex, religion, or whatever your protected category is were treated differently. Tell them that those others are not being asked to resign. Ask them to do a prompt investigation. Sometimes, they really don’t know about the discrimination and reporting it might stop the termination process in its tracks.

They aren’t offering anything: If they don’t offer severance or some other monetary incentive, why would you quit? Don’t make it easy on them. If they want you out of there, they should offer something, in writing.

You might lose your right to unemployment benefits: Some unscrupulous employers use the resignation as an excuse to claim you aren’t entitled to unemployment. It could be your word against theirs if you don’t properly document that you were forced to resign.

They want you to sign something right away: If the employer is shoving something in front of you and demanding you sign it, consider that a red flag. They’re trying to trick you. Don’t sign anything you don’t understand or are too distraught to think about clearly. Tell them you need time to think about it. Take it to an employee-side employment lawyer if there’s anything in it you don’t fully understand.

You have claims against the company: If you think you have a discrimination, whistleblower, worker’s compensation retaliation, breach of contract or other claim against the employer, you may have leverage to negotiate a better exit package. Don’t sign a release of claims without fully exploring your options.

You aren’t fooling anyone: Some people think a resignation looks better on a resume. Maybe. But if you resign and are then unemployed for months or years, who do you think you’re fooling. Nobody in their right mind quits without having another job in this economy. HR people aren’t (mostly) dumb, so they will know something happened that prompted your resignation.

Why You Should Quit

Great severance package: If you are offered a severance package that will tide you over sufficiently when you’re looking for another job, then you might want to take the deal. Make sure you aren’t also signing away your right to work for a competitor, your pension, or something else of value. Take it to a lawyer to be sure.

Won’t challenge unemployment: In most states, the mere promise that you’ll get unemployment without a hassle isn’t much incentive. Unemployment is usually a fraction of what you were making. However, if you think they might have a basis to successfully challenge your unemployment, then you might consider the resignation as long as they make the promise about unemployment in writing.

You have an alternative: If you have a job offer you’ve been considering, have a startup company you want to spend more time on, or think it might be time to retire, then a forced resignation might help you make a smooth transition. Make sure they agree they won’t tell potential employers or customers anything other than that you left to pursue other options.

If your employer is asking you to resign, you have some power, as Suzanne Lucas points out in her excellent article. Now is the time to explore your options, talk to a lawyer, call your union rep, and read everything carefully. You may have more leverage to negotiate in this situation than you think. Good luck!

A Simple Solution To Unjust At-Will Laws

Most employers can fire you for any reason or no reason at all. As I say in my upcoming book, that means they can fire you because they didn’t like your shoes that day. Or, as it turns out, the color of your shirt.

The law definitely needs to change. This appalling situation could happen to anyone. In all but one state (Montana) you can be fired because your boss didn’t like your shirt or your shoes that day or because they’re in a bad mood. And in this country, unlike most civilized countries, our health insurance is tied to our jobs. So you can lose both your job and health insurance coverage for your family and yourself, all because your boss was in a bad mood.

Then, to add insult to injury, our tax dollars pay for the cost of unemployment compensation and the side-effects of unemployment, all because your boss had a hissy fit one day and fired you without just cause.

I would suggest that there’s a solution that might help alleviate some of the huge societal burden, as well as the burden on individuals, that is cause by the reality of at-will employment. Every state in the nation already has a set of hearing examiners or referees who hear unemployment cases. If the employee is fired for misconduct, they don’t get to collect. But what about the employer who fires without just cause? Why not give the unemployment hearing officers one more power: the power to reinstate with back pay.

Why should taxpayers have to pay because someone was in a bad mood and fired an employee? Why shouldn’t they have to pay for their own folly? If they don’t want to reinstate, then they can pay the employee’s full salary for the entire length of time they would have collected unemployment.

So, constant readers, tell me. Why won’t this work? Why shouldn’t we impose as much burden on employers who terminate without just cause as we impose on employees who are fired for misconduct?

If you like my solution, tell your state legislators and members of Congress. If you think I'm wrong, gripe away. I'd love to hear from you.

Can I Sue For Constructive Discharge?

Sometimes, people come to me and say they want to sue for constructive discharge. There’s no such cause of action or claim. Constructive discharge is where an employee quits work for good cause. This means some claims that you were illegally fired (worker's compensation retaliation, retaliation for complaining about discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, adverse action discrimination claims, to name a few) are still allowed if you’re constructively discharged. If you would have a case against your employer had they fired you under the same circumstances, then you will also probably have a case against them if a court finds you were constructively discharged.

Most courts are reluctant to find an employee was constructively discharged. The standard is usually that no reasonable employee would have tolerated the conditions of employment. For instance, I’ve seen sexual harassment cases as extreme as rape that weren’t found to have been so intolerable that the circumstances constituted constructive discharge by the employer.

For unemployment purposes, if the company cuts your pay, changes your job duties in a major way, changes your shift, transfers you to a new location, that may be enough to be deemed cause attributable to the employer. But you’d better be sure before you quit if you want to make sure you’ll qualify for unemployment. Sometimes the unemployment office will have a website or have someone you can call to get information. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to be sure of your rights before you quit.


Donna’s tips:

a. If your working conditions are intolerable, for heaven’s sake look for another job. Try not to quit until you have another job lined up. It’s easier to get a job when you have a job.

b. If working conditions are intolerable due to discrimination, sexual harassment, failure to pay wages, or something protected by law, complain to HR in writing before you quit and give the company a chance to correct the situation.

c. If the work situation is dangerous (rape, assault, unsafe conditions), then get the heck out of there. No lawsuit or potential suit is worth your safety.