If you are forced to take five consecutive unpaid days off in a row, any number of unpaid days off in a row, file for unemployment insurance for that week. That is doubtless what your DOL would tell you to do.
Yes the employer can insist that you take the days off, after all they control your work schedule, but any time when a person is off work for unpaid time in a week, through no fault of their own, when during any Sunday through Saturday week, they actually make less in gross earnings than they could have drawn in unemployment weekly benefit, then they can sign up for and be eligible for a week of unemployment.
You'd file, and the claim would set up, to be in place for a year from the date filed, any time that you were off without pay and determined eligible.Though Texas has a waiting week, and you probably will never be paid for that one week in unemployment insurance, I'd still file for it. And if the company fires you for doing it, then they are of course, completely on the hook to pay higher unemployment taxes, as the state will very likely continue the unemployment insurance benefits until the person finds another job.
Many places close for two weeks during the Christmas holidays without vacation pay, and they file partial claims for their employees for those two weeks. Because they know the people are entitled to file these claims and eligible to be paid for any unpaid weeks. If they are receiving vacation pay, expecting to go right back, and the vacation pay is more than their weekly benefit amount would be in unemployment insurance, then of course they won't qualify for a claim. But people who do not qualify for vacation pay can always file for unemployment any week they do not work because of the employer's decision.
While you'd probably make more during that week off if you did elect to go down and get a pick up job at a temporary work service, you definitely have the right to file for an unemployment claim. Temp. jobs for one week only may or may not be available and easy for you to get. Your employer can say we don't have work for you this week, it's company policy that you have to take an unpaid week at least once a year, but they cannot avoid your filing for unemployment while they are doing it to you, and their having to pay those unemployment benefits if you qualify for them.
The trouble is if this happened to you more than a few weeks ago, it is probably too late to go back and file the claim for that week. So you just move on, wiser now. But if it hasn't happened to you yet, I'd by all means file an unemployment claim during that week I was off and get it set up. As I said, it'll be your waiting week on the new claim, so that if you are off again anytime in the next year, there will not be another waiting week.
I'd not brag or advertise or threaten my employer that I was going to do it, I'd just do it. Meantime, stop whining and complaining about the situation, particularly to your co workers and to your employer. Filing a claim for the week you are off is the correct thing to do. Then of course, you'll go back to work as soon as the week is over.