Unemployment Hearing

[Firewoman31]

What is the name of your state?undefinedNew Jersey
I have been asked by a former co-worker to assist him in his hearing for unemployment benefits.
We both worked for the same supervisor (who was a terrible person). I managed to get out by finding a great job, but my friend was stuck there and has since been terminated. They are trying to block his unemployment benefits.
Do you have any advice as to what I should include in my letter to the unemployment board to assist my former co-worker to obtain his benefits?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Gadfly]

That's a wide open question. I assume you want advice related speciffically to your friends situation, and not mine or someone else correct? If so then we need to know something more than you have told us.

 

[Firewoman31]

Not necessarily. Just points to include or examples.
If someone is aware of NJ unemployment benfit hearing guidelines, and/or what the moderator would be looking for to grant the benefits and/or discredit the company's reasons for refusing to pay.
I don't want to write a letter that makes me sound petty because of my own issues with the boss when I was there.
Or write a letter with points that the DOL really has no concerns with.

 

[pattytx]

I doubt very seriously a letter would even be accepted into "evidence", for lack of a better term. In my state, and most others I have dealt with, the witness has to appear in person (or voice, if a telephone hearing) to be heard. This is so the witness can be questioned.

 

[atomicperm]

You may also want to take into account that if your friend was fired after you left the company, you have no direct knowledge of your friends termination.

 

[esirena]

you really need to know why your friend was fired first, then ask yourself how his conduct or behavior was at work, was he ever disciplined on the job in connection to his termitation?, how was his attendance?, how long he worked with this employer. usually wining a hearing with the unemployment office is hard and i believe your friend has been denied benefits already since the employer has probably shown good cause for termination. the point to really target is this one, you were no longer working there, so you were not present to really serve as a witness for your friend and i doubt you will help much. what your friend needs is someone who works there and will testify on his behalf, the more people he can get to testify for him the better, although i doubt any body else would risk themselves and be retaliated by the employer. what your friend can also do is get anonymous statements from his co-workers that support him and give reasons why it was unfair to terminate your friend,get individual statements with no name but put a phone number and write down that the reason why the statements are made anonymous is because the witness identity needs to be protected from the employer.good luck