tldr: My work lied about the circumstances of my termination so they could deny my unemployment, and I owned their bitchass and got the money anyway.
A bit of context. At the end of last year I got layed off from my first job working for Peloton (I was the guy that made Marlon Wayans angry: https://twitter.com/MarlonWayans/status/1362892028766527490?t=ppSHFLPFpbyfGtfaLcFwyQ&s=19) due to a lack of call volume, so naturally I stumbled across a new oppurtunity in the next town over for $16/hr. I ace the interview and I'm hired!
So I'm working 10 hour days, four days a week polishing lenses for a optical company. Three months in and I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. Maybe a mistake here and there, but that's to be expected. At least that's what I thought, until one day where they pulled me into HR and told me I was being terminated. I asked them why, and they gave me the vauge reason of “not meeting expectations.” I don't think much of it since it really wasn't gonna be permanent for me any way, but still pretty annoying. I walk out and drive home, ready to re-apply for unemployment.
I do get my first check no problem, but the following week I get hit with a notice that I wasn't paid benefits due to being fired for 'breaking something and not reporting it'. I thought it was odd, since I have never tried to do that. I admittiedly did drop a couple things here and there, but my supervisor always saw me do it and I would always set it aside like I was asked. In fact, an incident like that happened a day before I was fired.
I didn't really know how to fight it, so I kinda just went on with job hunting, submitting my claims and getting denied. But after doing some research, I found out how to request a hearing. So after talking with my mom and having her look it over, I submit it.
By this point I was barely getting by financially. I had gotten a job at Safeway at this point, but it was barely any pay and I found out they don't even hire full-time. And with a recent rent increase, it has just been even more difficult. If I didn't get this money, I was gonna be in deep shit.
So the day of the hearing comes, which ends uo being over the phone. I'm really nervous, but it ends up going pretty well. My employer didn't even have answers to some of the questions they were asked, so I already knew I won. I was just worried that I didn't plead my case well enough.
Luckily though, I just got a letter in the mail explaining my case and it determined that my employer was in the wrong, and I got all my money. Fuck those sneaky, lying assholes.