And unemployment insurance, which is related to being out of work "through no fault of your own" is an insurance program, for a very limited amount of money, for a very limited amount of time. It is in no way any kind of substitute for a job, it is just a temporary insurance program which is paid for by employers, to make sure that if their employees are off work through no fault of their own, they'll have some minimal amount of money coming in. If a person is fired, for example, for refusing to work over to finish out a shift, etc. the employer can fire them, and will very likely be able to prove it was misconduct, in that it is not unreasonable to require that the employee finish a job, as long as they are being paid for the hours and time worked. This is not an unemployment insurance issue, it is a wage and hour issue. You must be paid, at at least minimum wage for all the time you work. If you refuse, the employer has the right to terminate you. Did he have a valid misconduct reason to terminate you? Then you would not be approved to draw unemployment while seeking another job. This is what would be determined in a hearing regarding unemployment insurance. In the meantime, I'd start showing up on time. If your employer asks you to stay late to get your job done, make sure you're getting paid, and decide if you want to be fired, probably without being able to receive unemployment benefits, before you refuse.

