90-day probation/always=denied unemployment?

[tmyers]

I'm in Florida. I quit a very long term job and started a new job. A few days before I began the new company began a first wave of major lay offs. I had already given my notice at my old job and did not know about these lay-offs until I started the new job. The job is in sales, I was given no training and was virtually ignored. I had been given a letter showing a month of training dates and my sales quotas. I knew I needed to meet the quota and even exceeded them. Meanwhile, more management, training and sales staff was either quitting or let go. My immediate supervisor was one. The new supervisor was ill with a stress related condition for my last week. My question: After 6 weeks I was told it was my last day along with some longer term employees-the others asked for unemployment letters. I was told I was on 90 day probation. I did meet and exceed my goals, had no other problems and was never confronted with any problems. I've been told by a state employee that FL is a 'right to work' state and that I'll probably be denied unemployment because I was in my first 90 days of employement.
Any suggestions to contest this would be really appreciated. My income is my families only source of wages. Thanks!

 

[cbg]

Right to work means that you cannot be forced to join a union. It has absolutely nothing to do with your situation.

I don't know Florida unemployment regs. However, in at least one of the states where I have employees, you might not be able to claim UI with the company that just laid you off, but you might be able to get it from the company you were with prior to that.

Unless the state employee who told you that actually works for the Unemployment Commission, don't automatically go by what he said. The regs for state workers are often different than for private employers. There's nothing to stop you from filing - let the UC decide whether you're eligible or not.

 

[Beth3]

Ditto. By all means, file for UC benefits immediately.

The fact that the person you spoke to started yapping on about FL being a right to work State would tend to indicate he or she had no idea what they were talking about.

Good luck and I hope you find a new job quickly.