[mdb333]

Unlimited PTO is fundamentally use it or lose it... which is illegal (at least here in Cali). I don't know why the Division of Labor hasn't come out and said as much yet.

I filed a claim against previous employer (several years back before everybody was on the unlimited bandwagon) with an 'unlimited' PTO and ended up with ~20k awarded. Process took forever, and of course the devil is in the details with employment docs, agreements, etc... but worth pursuing if you're still salty over the situation.

Prior to that I found myself in a similar situation... basically getting the boot for availing myself of sick leave when my family needed me. Fortunately, I got a big chunk of cash upon leaving and it gave me a much needed boost for moving on. So best advice I can give is to not let the situation keep you down or hold you back. And in general, a good reminder: HR has one job and its not to protect you the employee.