@RyanAtTanagra , nice! You reminded me of my favorite FU story, that I helped engineer...
DH and I bought our first house, in 1992. Not married, but together 10+ years, so it's all good. We cobble together a 10% DP, and move in.
I have my first post-college FT job, doing well for my age. DH is just out of college too, still working his college job at a local bike shop (he's super-good with fixing things, handy to have around). He'd worked there for ~2+ years, and was now the most senior (and most expensive) employee. He was also the guy who did ALL of the bicycle repairs. During his time there, he actually got a following of bike nerds, who would bring their fancy bikes in to be optimized by DH.
He's paid well enough, he hates interviewing, not really looking for a job (even after being taped up and robbed at gunpoint, but that's another story!)
After the robbery, the owner decides it's time to sell. So he does. New owner looks at DH's payroll, and decides he's going to get him out. So he assigns him to the other shop, about a 40 minute commute via freeway in the Bay Area. Instead of the current 20 minute commute. The employee with whom he was swapped (the most expensive employee at the other shop) decided to quit instead of putting up with the reassignment. DH doesn't.
So then the owner reduces his hours, by 25%, saying that the business is slowing (actually, business was recovering from the recession, and receipts were up). DH still doesn't quit, but he starts looking for another job. Slowly.
Well, owner pays out another month, and decides DH is still too expensive, so he "lets him go." DH comes home, all depressed and feeling worthless (he's an introvert, hates looking for work). I tell him he can file for unemployment, since he wasn't fired for cause. DH perks up!
I advise DH to call the owner the next day, no hassle, and ask him if he'd sign a letter of reference for DH, to "aid in his job search." Owner says yes. DH asks if it's OK if we draft it, and he'll bring it by the following day for a signature. Owner says yes.
So I draft the letter, outlining DH's three years of work in the shop, his expertise in repair, his solid work ethic, his perfect attendance, his reassignment to the other shop and his willingness "to work where he was most needed by the business," and then I note owner's dismay at having to lay him off due to
"lack of funds, and lack of work", as evidenced by the prior reduction to 75% time.
DH takes it in, owner happily signs it (he didn't have to do any work! DH is going away without drama!). DH then went STRAIGHT TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE, AND FILED.
Owner fights it, says he fired DH for bad attitude, attendance, possible thievery, he's not sure, but maybe...
So a conference call is scheduled with an adjudicator. DH listens to owner spew his lies, and then simply says: "Huh. That's not at all what you said in your written reference letter for me. You said it was due to lack of funds and lack of work."
Stunned silence. Then the adjudicator asks owner: "Is this true? Did you write a letter of reference for [DH]?" Owner admits that yes, he did sign a letter of reference, and it might have included those terms.
That was it. Dispute settled in DH's favor, and he proceeded to de-PTSD for the next 6 months while continuing to pay his Mustachian-level bills from the UE checks.
And because we kept a lockdown on the budget, he was able to turn down Blockbuster and their evil corporate hiring practices, AND buy a sweet 1967 Honda Dream 305 motorcycle during that 6 months of unemployment.
Overall: pretty sweet.