Maryland
I was fired from a salaried position and have been denied unemployment.
I was employed by a Boat Marina as an Office Manager. This position ran from March 1 through November 1 every year. My salary was spread over 12 months. I was fired at the end of September one month from completing the entire season.
My family sold this business to the curent owners in 2005. After closing out our portion of the business I went to work at another Marina in another state until 2008. The current owners approached me about coming back to work for them to basically clean up a mess they had with a former manager. I quit my job at the other Marina and came back to work for them. I did not get an employment contract.
This location was one of three locations this company owned. I was hired as the office manager and was not monitored daily. I ran the place like I did years before. Due to the nature of the business I worked 7 days a week since I had two younger assistants working under me that I was not comfortable leaving alone. During the crunch time in the summer I was there 8 to 6 every day which was my choice. I felt it was necessary to keep the place running smooth. I took my personal time such as personal appointments and the like at the convienence of the business. Up until the time of my firing I had taken a total of 5 days off the entire summer. My choice I know ... but still the facts.
I had little interaction with the General Manager since most of my duties related to office functions that another gal in the main office was in charge of.
Every year there is a transition from renting boats to storing boats. The renting was over and it was now time to prepare cutomers boats for winter storage. The paperwork involved with storing boats is laborous. It takes at least 4 or 5 different reports to complete each file on each customer. I was instructed by the main office to shift gears from renting to storing and to begin compiling the paperwork necessary for winter storage on Sept 16. We turned these in 25 at a time ... so 25 times all those reports. Alot of this information we compiled ourselves some of it we depended on the service staff to collect for us. On the day of my firing we had 50 ready to turn in to the main office. I had been planning on taking the weekend off to attend a wedding in another state so I was turning these 50 in before I left for the weekend.
I leave work at 2 pm on Friday I had scheduled my assistants to work and this was an off weekend ... and I get a call about 3:00 from the GM in an absolute rage that I had not turned in any work since 9/16! I printed off my daily reports that verified this was not so before I left. I think he got bad information and just went crazy on me without knowing all the facts. So instead of giving me a chance to defend myself he hangs up on me. I really thought he would cool off and we could make up on Monday. Instead I get a text message from one of my assistants that asked me why I was fired! She got this information through a text from the receptionist at the main office. The owner of this company always praise me on what a good job I was doing everytime he came in to our location.
Now the GM has contested my unemployment saying on the grounds I left my shift early without permission! I made my own schedule always and never had got permission before but still my unemployment was denied. I really think the GM just embarrased himself and now feels like he has to justify what he did.
What approach would you take for my appeal?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
I was fired from a salaried position and have been denied unemployment.
I was employed by a Boat Marina as an Office Manager. This position ran from March 1 through November 1 every year. My salary was spread over 12 months. I was fired at the end of September one month from completing the entire season.
My family sold this business to the curent owners in 2005. After closing out our portion of the business I went to work at another Marina in another state until 2008. The current owners approached me about coming back to work for them to basically clean up a mess they had with a former manager. I quit my job at the other Marina and came back to work for them. I did not get an employment contract.
This location was one of three locations this company owned. I was hired as the office manager and was not monitored daily. I ran the place like I did years before. Due to the nature of the business I worked 7 days a week since I had two younger assistants working under me that I was not comfortable leaving alone. During the crunch time in the summer I was there 8 to 6 every day which was my choice. I felt it was necessary to keep the place running smooth. I took my personal time such as personal appointments and the like at the convienence of the business. Up until the time of my firing I had taken a total of 5 days off the entire summer. My choice I know ... but still the facts.
I had little interaction with the General Manager since most of my duties related to office functions that another gal in the main office was in charge of.
Every year there is a transition from renting boats to storing boats. The renting was over and it was now time to prepare cutomers boats for winter storage. The paperwork involved with storing boats is laborous. It takes at least 4 or 5 different reports to complete each file on each customer. I was instructed by the main office to shift gears from renting to storing and to begin compiling the paperwork necessary for winter storage on Sept 16. We turned these in 25 at a time ... so 25 times all those reports. Alot of this information we compiled ourselves some of it we depended on the service staff to collect for us. On the day of my firing we had 50 ready to turn in to the main office. I had been planning on taking the weekend off to attend a wedding in another state so I was turning these 50 in before I left for the weekend.
I leave work at 2 pm on Friday I had scheduled my assistants to work and this was an off weekend ... and I get a call about 3:00 from the GM in an absolute rage that I had not turned in any work since 9/16! I printed off my daily reports that verified this was not so before I left. I think he got bad information and just went crazy on me without knowing all the facts. So instead of giving me a chance to defend myself he hangs up on me. I really thought he would cool off and we could make up on Monday. Instead I get a text message from one of my assistants that asked me why I was fired! She got this information through a text from the receptionist at the main office. The owner of this company always praise me on what a good job I was doing everytime he came in to our location.
Now the GM has contested my unemployment saying on the grounds I left my shift early without permission! I made my own schedule always and never had got permission before but still my unemployment was denied. I really think the GM just embarrased himself and now feels like he has to justify what he did.
What approach would you take for my appeal?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?