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Chapter 268

Section 268.095

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268.095 Disqualification provisions.

Subdivision 1. Quit. An applicant who quit employment shall be disqualified from all unemployment benefits except when:

(1) the applicant quit the employment because of a good reason caused by the employer;

(2) the applicant quit the employment to accept other covered employment that provided substantially better terms and conditions of employment, but the applicant did not work long enough at the other employment to have sufficient subsequent earnings to satisfy the disqualification that would otherwise be imposed;

(3) the applicant quit the employment within 30 calendar days of beginning the employment because the employment was unsuitable for the applicant;

(4) the employment was unsuitable for the applicant and the applicant quit to enter reemployment assistance training;

(5) the employment was part time and the applicant had full-time employment in the base period, that the applicant separated from because of nondisqualifying reasons, sufficient to meet the minimum requirements to establish a benefit account under section 268.07;

(6) the applicant quit because the employer notified the applicant that the applicant was going to be laid off due to lack of work within 30 calendar days. An applicant who quit employment within 30 calendar days of a notified date of layoff due to lack of work shall be disqualified from unemployment benefits through the end of the week that includes the scheduled date of layoff;

(7) the applicant quit the employment because the applicant's serious illness or injury made it medically necessary that the applicant quit, provided that the applicant made reasonable efforts to remain in that employment in spite of the serious illness or injury.

Reasonable efforts to remain in that employment are those a reasonable individual would make if interested in remaining with the employer and require that the applicant inform the employer of the serious illness or injury and request accommodation.

If the applicant's serious illness is chemical dependency, the applicant has not made reasonable efforts to remain in that employment if the applicant has previously been diagnosed as chemically dependent, or has previously had treatment for chemical dependency, and has failed to make consistent efforts to control the chemical dependency; or

(8) domestic abuse of the applicant or the applicant's minor child, necessitated the applicant's quitting the employment. Domestic abuse shall be shown by one or more of the following:

(i) a court order for protection or other documentation of equitable relief issued by a court;

(ii) a police record documenting the domestic abuse;

(iii) documentation that the perpetrator of the domestic abuse has been convicted of the offense of domestic abuse;

(iv) medical documentation of domestic abuse; or

(v) documentation or certification of the domestic abuse provided by a social worker, member of the clergy, shelter worker, or other professional who has assisted the applicant in dealing with the domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse for purposes of this clause shall be defined under section 518B.01.

Subd. 2. Quit defined. (a) A quit from employment occurs when the decision to end the employment was, at the time the employment ended, the employee's.

(b) An employee who has been notified that the employee will be discharged in the future, who chooses to end the employment while employment in any capacity is still available, shall be considered to have quit the employment.

(c) An employee who seeks to withdraw a previously submitted notice of quitting shall be considered to have quit the employment if the employer does not agree that the notice may be withdrawn.

(d) An applicant who, without good cause, fails to affirmatively request an additional job assignment after completion of a temporary job assignment from a staffing service employer shall be considered to have quit employment.

This paragraph shall apply only if, at the time of beginning of employment with the staffing service employer, the applicant signed and was provided a copy of a separate document written in clear and concise language that informed the applicant of this paragraph and that unemployment benefits may be affected.

For purposes of this paragraph, "good cause" shall be a reason that is significant and would compel an average, reasonable worker, who would otherwise want an additional temporary job assignment with the staffing service employer, to fail to contact the staffing service employer. The applicant shall be considered to have good cause if the temporary job assignment just completed was not suitable employment for the applicant.

For purposes of this paragraph, a "staffing service employer" is an employer whose business involves employing individuals directly for the purpose of furnishing temporary help to clients of the staffing service.

Subd. 3. Good reason caused by the employer defined. (a) A good reason caused by the employer for quitting is a reason:

(1) that is directly related to the employment and for which the employer is responsible; and

(2) that is significant and would compel an average, reasonable worker to quit and become unemployed rather than remaining in the employment.

(b) If an applicant was subjected to adverse working conditions by the employer, the applicant must complain to the employer and give the employer a reasonable opportunity to correct the adverse working conditions before that may be considered a good reason caused by the employer for quitting.

(c) A substantial adverse change in the wages, hours, or other terms of employment by the employer shall be considered a good reason caused by the employer for quitting unless the change occurred because of the applicant's employment misconduct.

(d) Notification of discharge in the future, including a layoff due to lack of work, shall not be considered a good reason caused by the employer for quitting.

(e) An applicant has a good reason caused by the employer for quitting if it results from sexual harassment of which the employer was aware, or should have been aware, and the employer failed to take timely and appropriate action. Sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical contact or other conduct or communication of a sexual nature when:

(1) the applicant's submission to the conduct or communication is made a term or condition of the employment;

(2) the applicant's submission to or rejection of the conduct or communication is the basis for decisions affecting employment; or

(3) the conduct or communication has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an applicant's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

(f) The definition of a good reason caused by the employer for quitting employment provided by this subdivision shall be exclusive.

Subd. 4. Discharge. An applicant who was discharged from employment by an employer shall not be disqualified from any unemployment benefits except when:

(1) the applicant was discharged because of employment misconduct; or

(2) the applicant was discharged because of aggravated employment misconduct.

Subd. 4a. Renumbered subd 6a

Subd. 5. Discharge defined. (a) A discharge from employment occurs when any words or actions by an employer would lead a reasonable employee to believe that the employer will no longer allow the employee to work for the employer in any capacity. A layoff due to lack of work shall be considered a discharge. A suspension from employment without pay of more than 30 calendar days shall be considered a discharge.

(b) An employee who gives notice of intention to quit the employment and is not allowed by the employer to work the entire notice period shall be considered discharged from the employment as of the date the employer will no longer allow the employee to work. If the discharge occurs within 30 calendar days prior to the intended date of quitting, then, as of the intended date of quitting, the separation from employment shall be considered a quit from employment subject to subdivision 1.

Subd. 6. Employment misconduct defined. (a) Employment misconduct means:

(1) any intentional conduct, on the job or off the job, that disregards the standards of behavior that an employer has the right to expect of the employee or disregards the employee's duties and obligations to the employer; or

(2) negligent or indifferent conduct, on the job or off the job, that demonstrates a substantial lack of concern for the employment.

(b) Inefficiency, inadvertence, simple unsatisfactory conduct, poor performance because of inability or incapacity, or absence because of illness or injury with proper notice to the employer, are not employment misconduct.

(c) Any conduct in violation of paragraph (a), clause (1) or (2), that was a result of the applicant's chemical dependency is employment misconduct if the applicant has previously been diagnosed chemically dependent or had treatment for chemical dependency, and has failed to make consistent efforts to control the chemical dependency.

(d) A driving offense in violation of sections 169A.20, 169A.31, or 169A.50 to 169A.53 that interferes with or adversely affects the employment is employment misconduct.

(e) The definition of employment misconduct provided by this subdivision shall be exclusive.

Subd. 6a. Aggravated employment misconduct defined. For the purpose of this section, "aggravated employment misconduct" means:

(1) the commission of any act, on the job or off the job, that would amount to a gross misdemeanor or felony if the act interfered with or adversely affected the employment; or

(2) for an employee of a facility as defined in section 626.5572, aggravated employment misconduct includes an act of patient or resident abuse, financial exploitation, or recurring or serious neglect, as defined in section 626.5572 and applicable rules.

If an applicant is convicted of a gross misdemeanor or felony for the same act for which the applicant was discharged, it is aggravated employment misconduct.

Subd. 7. Act or omissions after separation. Except as provided for under subdivision 8, an applicant shall not be disqualified from unemployment benefits under this section for any acts or omissions occurring after the applicant's separation from employment with the employer. A layoff due to lack of work is considered a separation from employment.

Subd. 8. Offers of employment. (a) An applicant shall be disqualified from all unemployment benefits if the applicant, without good cause:

(1) failed to apply for available, suitable employment of which the applicant was advised by the commissioner or an employer;

(2) failed to accept suitable employment when offered; or

(3) avoided an offer of suitable employment.

(b) "Good cause" is a reason that would cause a reasonable individual who wants suitable employment to fail to apply for, accept, or avoid suitable employment. Good cause includes:

(1) the applicant is employed in other suitable employment;

(2) the applicant is in reemployment assistance training;

(3) the applicant formerly worked for the employer and the loss of employment occurred prior to the commencement of a labor dispute, was permanent or for an indefinite period, and the applicant failed to apply for or accept the employment because a labor dispute was in progress at the establishment; or

(4) the applicant formerly worked for the employer and quit that employment because of a good reason caused by the employer.

(c) This subdivision only applies to offers of employment with a new or a former employer and does not apply to any type of job transfers, position reassignments, or changes in job duties or responsibilities during the course of employment with an employer.

Subd. 9. Renumbered 268.035, subd. 23a

Subd. 10. Disqualification duration. (a) A disqualification from the payment of all unemployment benefits under subdivisions 1, 4, and 8 shall be for the duration of the applicant's unemployment and until the end of the calendar week that the applicant had total earnings in subsequent covered employment of eight times the applicant's weekly unemployment benefit amount.

(b) Any disqualification imposed under subdivisions 1 and 4 shall begin on the Sunday of the week that the applicant became separated from employment. Any disqualification imposed under subdivision 8 shall begin on the Sunday of the week the applicant failed to apply for, accept, or avoided employment.

(c) In addition to paragraph (a), if the applicant was discharged from employment because of aggravated employment misconduct, wage credits from that employment shall be canceled.

Subd. 11. Application. (a) This section shall apply to all covered employment, full time or part time, temporary or of limited duration, permanent or of indefinite duration, that occurred in Minnesota during the base period, the period between the end of the base period and the effective date of the benefit account, or the benefit year, except as provided for in subdivision 1, clause (5).

(b) Paragraph (a) shall also apply to employment covered under an unemployment insurance program of any other state or established by an act of Congress.

Subd. 12. Labor dispute. (a) An applicant who has stopped working because of a labor dispute at the establishment where the applicant is employed shall be disqualified from unemployment benefits:

(1) until the end of the calendar week that the labor dispute was in active progress if the applicant is participating in or directly interested in the labor dispute; or

(2) until the end of the calendar week that the labor dispute began if the applicant is not participating in or directly interested in the labor dispute.

Participation includes any failure or refusal by an applicant, voluntarily or involuntarily, to accept and perform available and customary work at the establishment.

(b) An applicant who has stopped working because of a jurisdictional controversy between two or more labor organizations at the establishment where the applicant is employed shall be disqualified for unemployment benefits until the end of the calendar week that the jurisdictional controversy was in progress.

(c) An applicant shall not be disqualified from unemployment benefits under this subdivision if:

(1) the applicant stops working because of an employer's intentional failure to observe the terms of the safety and health section of a union contract or failure to comply with an official citation for a violation of federal or state laws involving occupational safety and health;

(2) the applicant stops working because of a lockout; or

(3) the applicant is discharged prior to the beginning of a labor dispute.

(d) A quit from employment by the applicant during the time that the labor dispute is in active progress at the establishment shall not terminate the applicant's participation in or direct interest in the labor dispute for purposes of this subdivision.

(e) For the purpose of this subdivision, the term "labor dispute" shall have the same definition as provided in section 179.01, subdivision 7.

HIST: (4337-27) Ex1936 c 2 s 7; 1937 c 401 s 1; 1939 c 443 s 6; 1941 c 554 s 6; 1943 c 650 s 5; 1945 c 376 s 6; 1947 c 432 s 7; 1965 c 741 s 17; 1967 c 342 s 1; 1967 c 573 s 5; 1969 c 42 s 1; 1971 c 942 s 11; 1973 c 23 s 1; 1973 c 599 s 9; 1974 c 477 s 1; 1975 c 336 s 16; 1977 c 4 s 8; 1977 c 242 s 1; 1977 c 297 s 19; 1978 c 618 s 1; 1979 c 181 s 11-13; 1980 c 508 s 9; 1982 c 619 s 1; 1Sp1982 c 1 s 26-28; 1983 c 372 s 26,27; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 362 s 19,20; 1987 c 385 s 23,24; 1989 c 65 s 8; 1989 c 209 art 2 s 1; 1992 c 484 s 11,12; 1993 c 67 s 5-7; 1994 c 488 s 4,8; 1995 c 229 art 3 s 15; 1996 c 417 s 19,20,31; 1997 c 66 s 43-54,79; 1998 c 265 s 25-29,44,45; 1999 c 107 s 44,66; 2000 c 343 s 4; 2000 c 478 art 2 s 7; 2001 c 175 s 38-41,52

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Revisor of Statutes