Fighting for Struggling Workers

A colleague’s error at work almost cost Dave*, his disabled wife and their 5 children of Massillon their home, their car and their ability to provide for themselves. Dave was employed at a mechanic’s shop for over 3 years as a service manager and made $65,000.00 a year. One day his supervisor accused him of giving away company materials. Dave investigated and discovered his colleague had mistakenly deleted a work order Dave had input into the company system – meaning that Dave completed the work but the client was never properly billed. Dave’s colleague admitted his error, and Dave thought the situation was resolved.

It was not, and Dave lost his job. Dave filed for unemployment and began receiving checks. However, after receiving three weeks of benefits, Dave received notice that his former employer had challenged the unemployment claim. If his employer had his unemployment claim denied, Dave would have to pay back the money he had received, and wouldn’t receive any more. Threatened with no source of income to support his family, and no money to hire a private attorney, Dave was scared. He called Legal Aid.

Dave’s case was placed with Paralegal Shelly Ridzon. Shelly filed paperwork on Dave’s behalf and represented him at the unemployment compensation phone hearing. The hearing resulted in an unfavorable decision for Dave. Dave and Shelly filed for review of the decision.

The review panel agreed to review the decision but the review process is complicated and takes several months – during this period Dave and his family survived on food stamp benefits of $600 a month for the family of 7. While Dave continued to look for work, the family fell behind on their mortgage and car payments. Dave and his wife struggled to keep the utilities on during the winter and tried to avoid accumulating credit card debt they knew would be hard to repay.

Shelly represented Dave at the review panel and then they waited for a decision. For three months Dave and his family held on. Finally they heard back – the panel had overturned the decision in favor of Dave’s former employer. The panel members agreed that Dave had been fired without just cause and should have his unemployment benefits reinstated. Dave and was due back payments and did not need to return any money he had received. After six long months, Dave and his family finally had a stable income they could survive on. “Dave was very grateful that we didn't stop when we received an unfavorable decision and that we filed the necessary documentation to have his case reviewed by the Review Commission, says Shelly. “By doing this, we obtained a favorable outcome which resulted in Dave and his family getting the support they needed so Dave could focus his energy on his job search.”

Legal Aid is here to ensure unemployed workers get the benefits they need to support themselves and their families as they search for new employment.

*All client names have been changed to protect their privacy