My question involves unemployment benefits for the state of: Florida
Cheers!
I was an associate at a gas station for just about a year. The first 2/3 of my employment things were great, however, there was a drastic shift in management and things started getting much worse. The environment went from openly and friendly to hostile, petty, and just overall negative. Come February of 2011 I had my hours slashed dramatically, to the point that I was only scheduled 8 hours a week. That same week, my manager told me after a store meeting that I was in danger of being fired if I did not "shape up."
Now, after all of this I ended up resigning because I did not want to be involved with such lunacy. However, 3-4 months pass and I have been unable to find work, so I decided to file for unemployment, figuring that, at worst, all they could do was say no. Lo and behold I got approved and collected for a few weeks until I get a letter in the mail stating that my ex-employer was contesting my unemployment (almost TWO MONTHS after I started collecting) and that if I did not appeal and get a favorable ruling, I was going to be in debt to the Agency for that much. I found this unacceptable so I appealed and here I am.
What I want to know is this; How do I argue this? I was told to "shape up" by the manager even after receiving a grand total of ZERO negative documentation in my year of employ, so keep in mind that they will basically have nothing negative to say about me.
The paperwork I got in the mail today states that I must prove that I was "not fired for behavior issues and that I did not quit with out good cause."
Also, what role does character play in all this? As in, how I present my self over the phone in this meeting, what I have to say for my self, and how well organized and thought out my arguments are.
Thanks in advance, sorry for the wall of text,
Johnny_B

