Luke,

You obviously have little time before you are supposed to report for work, but I agree that you should investigate what information a former employer can provide about your employment in Wisconsin. I would also take the time (as recommended in previous posts) to document to the fullest extent the encounter and verbiage used by the "Manager". I think this would prove most useful with the unemployment office and other legal entities if so inclined.

Good luck with everything and I hope you find another job with greater satisfaction soon. Let us know how it all goes.