Doing Battle for $266. Dollars a week

So it has been a wonderful day of dealing with my friends at Time Warner Cable who found a new low in the dark heart category.

After being let go for having cancer and missing more work than they felt necessary, "even though my family of doctors provided ample documentation, FMLA protection, excuse notes for each time I was away and following the corporate policy on call offs' by contacting the attendance line each and every time I was ill" they have decided to appeal my unemployment insurance which amounts to $266. dollars per week.

My FMLA was administered by a company named UNUM who is notorious for being heartless, unfair and who has been accused of "a history of deception." For more information on UNUM please check out this link: http://unumclaimsdenial.com/2011/02/are-claims-still-denied-unfairly-despite-unum-lawsuits/

On the bright side, the woman who worked for the Ohio Job and Family Services is a Saint! Truly she is one of the kindest, patient and helpful people that I have ever come across. Her name is Yevette and if you ever have the opportunity to speak with her or if you find yourself out of work and are assigned to her, thank her profusely and count your blessings. She is without a doubt the very best in kind, honest and thoughtful customer service.

To prove that I was in fact ill and in the hospital on the day that they stated that I was, "what were their words," neglectful disregard for work? My Doctor, who is also so supportive and assisting me with my health at a discounted rate since I lost my insurance along with my job, provided me with documentation proving that I was out due to illness and also documented that although I am ill, I am able to work if given the chance to find a now job.

Provably, I will let it go after this. I think it is clear that my former employer has a compassion issue and I understand that it isn't easy to run a business but I was a great sales rep for them and I was getting better and missing less and less time from work. I think it's their loss and to be honest, I am not sure that I would want to work for a company that treats their employees with such disregard.

I am actively seeking a new opportunity and can't wait to see what God has in store for me. What ever it is I am certain that it will be more fulfilling and honest than the job I was doing.


On another topic, I am excited to begin posting new video blogs to the site one again. I plan on offering varied content that I hope you will find interesting. Obviously I won't be blogging on my way to work until I find a new job but I will still do my best to provide interesting and topical video for you to ponder!

Since I am a former musician and a fan of great music I will focus some of my attention to that. I will still dig into politics to some degree but I just don't have the fire that I once had to rail against those that differ in opinion. I will still call it out when I see something that I think is wrong.

I would love for any of you to share your stories about mistreatment by companies or issues with unemployment insurance. You have to remember "that as an employee," you are paying for that insurance every paycheck. The company simply matches the amount that you contribute. Most companies just don't like it when former employees receive unemployment compensation because when there are too many employees receiving benefits, the company has to pay a higher premium and that hurts their bottom line.

We are humans though and it isn't right to be treated as a line item in some yahoos spreadsheet. So please tell me your story! If you know someone who is out of work or having the same troubles, please guide them to this site. I do still have friends in high places and if I can get the information, I can pass it on to some of the government officials that I still communicate with!

Anyway, expect a video soon. Keep up the good fight and Bless you all!

Darren
The Driving Blogger

www.darrenwinkler.com

Twitter: @darrenwinkler

http://www.facebook.com/darren.winkler.