LOL, Good luck, and bump...
You’re in a state with 12+% Unemployment! That’s your answer. Unless you are in a union, you have no significant recourse, in general. Even in a union, there’s very limited recourse. Just ask the auto workers when they shut down the Toyota/GM plant.
Take the transfer. At least you’ll have a job. They just shot down unemployment extensions, so those are now going to be limited. You can refuse to sign the paper if you like, but, again, 12% unemployment.
One of my ex office managers had the same thing happen to her and she declined the reassignment and her unemployment was challenged by the employer and she appealed and lost her appeal. That was about 10 years ago in Orange county California.
I think the limit is actually 50 miles... Sorry.
Take the job, arrange after school care for the kid and thank your lucky stars that you have a job.
Start applying at other banks while you work at the current job and hopefully you will get what you want, where you want.
they will probably deny the Unemployment, but always ask for the hearing,, the Judges almost always side with the employee, just bring any paper work you have that can help the case
That makes sense; the contract that you signed when you got into this job probably mentions the possibility of reallocating you to another office in the area. Did you cross that out and write "Only at the branch X in city Y?"
They also want it in writing with my signature if I choose to decline the transfer.
You need to find out what happens if you don't give them any answer and don't sign anything. You are not required to, most likely.
My questions: what are my options? If I decline the transfer, what are my chances for challenging and winning to collect unemployment while I look for another job in the same area?
Well, if you hire a lawyer and spend, say, $20,000 on the lawsuit then your concerns will be heard in court. But that doesn't mean anything if you don't win - and probably you won't. Why? Because your current employer is not just behaving like a cross of a spoiled child and Mr. Burns. Your current employer *knows* what they can and can't do; most importantly, they have lawyers who know labor laws far better than you or maybe your lawyer (that you still need to spend some good money on.)
With regard to the unemployment insurance, it's very small, and you need to work for it by actively searching for a job and providing proof of it. The unemployment insurance also will not be paid if you are "too rich" for that, and there are other catches that I don't remember (since I only read about it, and never collected.) This insurance also has a ceiling for a year, and once you collect your yearly budget you are kicked out of the system.
If you decide to "challenge" your dismissal you will need more money than any unemployment insurance can give you (unless you intend to lose - then you only need a filing fee.)
What happens if I refuse to put in writing that I am declining the transfer?
Yes, as I said this is a key question, and nobody here or anywhere outside of your HR can tell you - simply because it is governed by your contract that you signed and should have a copy at home. Maybe you have an employee's handbook, it may be mentioned there. If I were to guess, the default option is most favorable to the employer because it's them who wrote the contract.
But all this is pure discussion for the sake of discussion, just to talk about *all* options that you have. In reality you have only two options: either you quit or you take a job elsewhere. The legal option is not viable; if you can afford it then you don't need the job in the first place.
Out of those two, the only reasonable option is to accept the transfer. This will pay you while you are aggressively searching for another job. Employers are far more interested in hiring people who are currently employed than in hiring people who are unemployed. I understand that the branch there is not an ideal job ... it's sad, but there are unpleasant jobs in the world, and not everyone is entitled to enjoying his job. I had a few unpleasant jobs myself. You have a family, and that creates certain obligations to support it, which is another reason to take the bad job and proceed from there. Sitting at home will not buy you anything.
2. Take the job and start job-hunting for something better. Don't quit your current (transferred location) job until you've obtained a better one.
Take The Transfer - ask for a few weeks to arrange childcare before transferring - they should be willing to cooperate, it's an easy carrot for them.
Any bank downsizing staff is not a good sign for that bank's future, so, Polish Your Resumes - you want three - one with high school only, one with college and all the bells and whistles, and one inbetween - tweek each one you send out to translate your skills to suitable non-banking jobs you apply for (don't want to seem ‘overqualified’) - and start sending them out, this weekend if possible
Keep Your Head Down and Keep Smiling -be cheerful around your bosses and coworkers about the transfer (if it's telegraphed ahead that you're uncooperative or resistive to change the new location HR person will find a reason to get rid of you as soon as you transfer)
Save Your Money - You'll spend more in legal fees and aggravation than you'll ever get in return
Best of luck to you!