My question involves unemployment benefits for the state of: Pennsylvania.
I was suddenly relieved of my duties in December, 2011, when severance pay did not matter in PA, and on that date my employer offered me a good severance package if I would agree to train my replacement. I agreed immediately, but they refused to sign (or allow me to sign) the separation/severance agreement they had drawn up until after the training was complete, in January 2012 when the new law which includes severance pay offsets went into effect. However, if the severance agreement is deemed to have taken place in 2011, I would receive more weeks of unemployment compensation.
My arguments are the following:
- An offer and acceptance was made in December, 2011.
- If I had refused the offer, I would not have not been allowed to return to work the next day, despite the fact that the company's letter of separation dated in December 2011 states that I would remain an employee through January, 2012. (What would I do as a hostile employee relieved of my duties? Stare out the window for six weeks?)
- An adhesion contract (in which one party has no bargaining power) was verbally agreed to in December, 2011.
- The employer could hardly have refused to sign the agreement or deny the severance after I had completed my part of the bargain--meaning the verbal contract in December 2011 was valid and enforceable.
- The company's letter of separation dated in December 2011 states that "the only precondition to receiving severance is training your replacement."
- The signed contract in January, 2012 was nothing but a formality.
So, the questions are: does any definition of "date of severance agreement" exist in the new PA unemployment law? If not, would an adhesion contract as outlined above win out over the idea that "the only thing that matters is the date the agreement was signed"?
Thanks.

