Quitting my job in Michigan and still getting unemployment?

by William

(Flint,MI,USA)

Okay I have worked for the same company for 4 years now. I am the Quality Inspector for a truck equipment plant. First of all I have not received any type of compensation at all since working for this company. No raises what so ever. When I asked for one I was told that I make more base pay money than most in the shop which is a lie. As I said before I have been working there for four years I know what my friends are making. Secondly we have a bonus system, but I am not allowed to be part of it as they believe that it would alter my decision to put good trucks out of production. Now the real problem that I have been having with this company is that as the Quality Inspector I am given tasks that are not in any way in my job description. I have been told on several occasions to finish or help complete service jobs that come through the job. As I said before I am quality not service. Secondly all service jobs that come through after the mechanic is done working on the vehicle I am told to clean the vehicle. The final straw is that with this bonus system I spoke about previously we have a gentlemen who installs decals making about 500 dollars a week in bonus money. I am being told to pull all his trucks in so he can get them decaled at lunch and I am also many times told to wipe them down for him so he can just lay his decals down on the truck. Also recently he has been leaving all the decal paper on the decals after he applies him, which causes me to have to peel them off and throw away all his garbage. I addressed this with the management and they kind of chuckled and told me to tell him that I am not going to do it. When I do this the gentleman that is doing the installation is a supervisor at our company and I am treated awfully for it and many times the truck sits there until the decal paper is stuck to the truck then I end up cleaning it anyways. I am really tired of this treatment and just want to know if quitting with compensation is an option for me. The worst part is the temporary agency that helped me find this job 4 years ago is unwilling to help me find work as I was told they do not like to do this to their clients. Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi William,

Would you like to know what your real problem is … as I see it anyway?

All your gripes about the unfair treatment are not about your employer. They are about your employer’s client. You are an employee of the staffing company and therefore, are not entitled to all those perks the permanent employees are. You weren’t when you started and now, four years down the road … you still aren’t. There aren’t any laws that can force an employer to pay except for the minimum wage and overtime.

It is the staffing agency paying the UI on your wages and from my own personal experience I know that if they give you a raise .. it will probably have to come out of their profit from your labor.

I again went through the list of decisions for voluntary leaving, but could not find one addressing temporary workers. You need to call the advocacy program I referred you to in your original post and see if someone will discuss your issue with you because I do not see that you have anything here that would be considered good cause.

I do understand your frustration and temp work might be great for those just seeking short term gigs, but long term temp assignments … Well, let’s just say you may find yourself between a rock and a hard place … like you have William, with no way out except to move on without benefits.

It’s not that it’s not possible to collect unemployment if you are a temp worker, but that you have not said anything here that I think would be considered good cause….therefore call the advocacy program and see it they have a different take on your situation. Or here’s an idea … you read through those decisions yourself and see if anything strikes you as relating to your situation and then come back here and we can discuss it.

Fact is William if you buck too much, the employer could get rid of you anytime they like and Michigan does have “special provisions” for temp workers if you do not call the agency for another assignment….then it’s called voluntarily quitting by job abandonment.

I think most long-term temp workers enter into a situation that basically creates a very bad situation that allows them to be used.