Title: Goodman v. MINN. DEPT. OF EMP. SERV.

State: minnesota

Issuer: Minnesota Supreme Court

Document:

255 N.W.2d 222 (1977) James GOODMAN, Relator, v. MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, Respondent. No. 47116. Supreme Court of Minnesota. April 15, 1977. Michael Fargione, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, for relator. Warren Spannaus, Atty. Gen., Richard B. Allyn, Sol. Gen., Peter C. Andrews, Asst. Atty. Gen., William G. Brown, Special Asst. Atty. Gen., St. Paul, for respondent. Considered and decided by the court without oral argument. PER CURIAM. Writ of certiorari to review a decision of the commissioner of employment services holding claimant ineligible for unemployment compensation because he was "unavailable for work" within the meaning of Minn.St.1974, § 268.08, subd. 1(3). We reverse and remand on the ground that the commissioner applied an erroneous theory of law in concluding that claimant was unavailable for work. In Hansen v. Continental Can Co., 301 Minn. 185, 221 N.W.2d 670 (1974), we reversed a decision of the commissioner which denied compensation solely on the ground that the claimant was attending college on a full-time basis. In doing so, we stated as follows: In response to our decision in the Hansen case, the commissioner issued a memorandum to claims deputies directing them to deny compensation to involuntarily unemployed workers attending college unless they had been students before they lost their jobs, even though they were actively seeking work, were available to work, and were willing to quit college if they obtained suitable employment that conflicted with their college hours. Such a directive is contrary to the clear holding of this court in the Hansen case. While in this case the decision of the appeal tribunal (which the commissioner adopted) did not cite this directive, it did state that "A full-time student such as the claimant is not considered available for work because of the limitations necessarily imposed by his school commitments." This kind of blanket rule denying compensation to involuntarily unemployed workers who attend college is also clearly contrary to our decision in the Hansen case. The determination which the commissioner must make in such cases is a factual one: Is the claimant in fact actively seeking work and is he in fact willing to quit college if offered suitable employment that would conflict with his college schedule? Stated differently, the factual determination which the commissioner must make is whether the claimant's attachment to the work force is genuine. Semanko v. Department of Employment Services, Minn., 244 N.W.2d 663 (1976). Reversed and remanded.