I quit my job for healh (stress) and moral reasons because my employer was violating state/local life safety codes and refused to correct them. I was responsible for the facility and could have been held accountable for the violations. I reported the violations to the local and state authorities immediately after I quit.
possibly win the case on appeal.
The "health" reasons for quitting may not fly nearly as much as the other issues – after all, if you have health insurance, you can get mental health covered for the stress.
Additionally, you may have a "whistle blower" case that you may want to speak with an attorney about.
Comment by Flo — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
quitting usually disallows any unemployment benefits
Comment by tro — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
Apply – you might be eligible under those circumstances.
Comment by Judy — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
Been there, done that.
Whistleblowers have a really hard row to hoe. In theory everybody is in favor of openness and safety and all, but inthhe real world, whistleblowers cause lots of annoyance. Which feeds back to blowers.
You may need an employment lawyer or advocate to get you what you’re due.
Comment by Melantha — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
The answer from tro is usually right, but there are exceptions, and quitting because you would have to do something illegal to keep the job is probably an exception.
Comment by StephenWeinstein — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
http://www.unemployment-benefits.org/wisconsin-unemployment-benefits
will give you an indication of rights, and normally, you would not have too much difficulty making your case. However, with the UI rate running at 9% as a average, they might take a second look, thinking you might be trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
My advice is that while it is still all fresh in your mind, you write down everything you can think of as known violation and the steps/major events which led up to your decision to leave, and to blow the whistle. Keep copies of EVERYTHING.
If your claim is denied for any reason, find a local labor lawyer, who will usually give you some very specific advice on how to protect yourself and what your rights and best course of action is given the legalities of the situation you were in, and your rights vis a vis unemployment, in case they do give you any trouble.
As for stress, make sure you have records from a docotr, or time off or incidents of illness even if you did not miss a day or work. In my experience, the person with the best records as evidence is the one who wins if it ever comes to a court case.
And it sounds like small consolation at the minute, but seriously, whenever we go through these huge events in our lives, we feel like we are the only person in the world it has ever happened to. But that is why there are professionals to help handle these things, and they have heard and seen it all in a lot of cases and will not charge a lot to see that you get what you deserve if you have to pursue any legal action against your former employer or pursue your rights to unemployment.
In the meantime, update your resume, look at your skills and be positive and upbeat that you have freed yourself from that terrible situation.
best of luck with it and many blessings!
Comment by counterexample — May 9, 2010 @ 3:16 pm