The Michigan Court of Appeals recently upheld an Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) decision categorically disqualifying employees who are “no call, no shows” for three consecutive days from receiving jobless benefits under the Michigan Employment Security Act’s (MESA) voluntary-leaving provision.
An employee was arrested and held in jail on a narcotics charge. The employer had a clear policy requiring employees to call in absences at least one hour before the start of a scheduled shift.
On his second day in jail, the employee called the employer to report he would be absent because of “unusual circumstances.” For the next three consecutive days, however, he was unable to call in. Therefore, he was terminated under the employer’s no-call/no-show policy.
