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In the Matter of the Claim of Lester

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Jun 12, 2003
306 A.D.2d 666 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)

Opinion

93015

Calendar Date: May 14, 2003.

June 12, 2003.

Appeals (1) from a decision of the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board, filed January 3, 2002, which ruled that claimant was disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits because he voluntarily left his employment without good cause, and (2) from a decision of said Board, filed February 21, 2002, which, upon reconsideration, adhered to its prior decision.

Barry Strom, Cornell Legal Aid, Ithaca (Sarah Bernett, Law Intern), for appellant.

Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General, New York City (Mary Hughes of counsel), for respondent.

Before: Mercure, J.P., Crew III, Mugglin, Rose and Kane, JJ.


MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Claimant was employed as a finisher at a wood-milling company. The employer initially tolerated claimant's preference to work from 5:00 A.M. to 3:00 or 3:30 P.M., but eventually insisted that claimant and the other employees in the finishing department start work no earlier than 7:00 A.M. and continue working until at least 4:30 P.M. The change in work hours was necessitated, according to the employer's testimony, by the need to have the finishers working at the end of the day to finish material scheduled to be delivered to customers the next morning.

The Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board ruled that claimant was disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits because he voluntarily left his employment without good cause. Upon reconsideration, the Board adhered to its original decision. We affirm.

It is well settled that a claimant's dissatisfaction with his or her scheduled work hours may not constitute good cause for leaving employment (see Matter of Hunt [Commissioner of Labor], 286 A.D.2d 819; Matter of Eck [Commissioner of Labor], 279 A.D.2d 690, 690-691). In the instant matter, substantial evidence supports the Board's finding that claimant voluntarily left his employment because of his dissatisfaction with his work schedule, in particular, the requirement that he continue working after 3:30 P.M. Claimant's contention that he did not resign but was discharged by the employer presented issues of credibility for the Board to resolve based upon the evidence before it (see Matter of Williams [Commissioner of Labor], 297 A.D.2d 857; Matter of Spark [Commissioner of Labor], 290 A.D.2d 914, lv denied 98 N.Y.2d 612). Claimant's remaining contentions have been examined and found to be without merit.

Mercure, J.P., Crew III, Mugglin, Rose and Kane, JJ., concur.

ORDERED that the decisions are affirmed, without costs.


Summaries of

In the Matter of the Claim of Lester

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Jun 12, 2003
306 A.D.2d 666 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)
Case details for

In the Matter of the Claim of Lester

Case Details

Full title:IN THE MATTER OF THE CLAIM OF CHRISTIAN S. LESTER, Appellant. COMMISSIONER…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department

Date published: Jun 12, 2003

Citations

306 A.D.2d 666 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)
759 N.Y.S.2d 915