Can an employer throw away my personal belongings?
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Can an employer throw away my personal belongings?
I work outside as a valet driver and where I’m at, it is on average 30 degrees in the morning when I work. At first I would wait in the lobby of the hospital I work at and would wait for cars to pull up and then walk out and park their cars but someone in the office complained I was opening the door too much and letting in cold air. So they told me I have to stay outside. I worked a day outside for 6 hours of sitting on a hard bench waiting for cars to pull up. The area I work in is very slow and not busy so at times I will be sitting there not doing anything for hours. After doing this I was experiencing pain in my butt area from sittingsorry for the unprofessional term. Due to this the next day I brought a pillow to sit on and a blanket to keep warm. While I went to my lunch my co worker came to cover me and used the blanket and pillow to keep warm and sit on as well. Then a manager at the hospital I work at came out yelling at my co-worker, saying that the pillow and blanket are trashy and grabbed the pillow used to sit on and threw it in the garbage saying that there is no need for it. I then was told about everything and I am really frustrated with how the whole situation was handled.
Asked on January 7, 2019 under Employment Labor Law, Oregon
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
As unfair as it may seem, your mnager did nothing wrong. The fact is that unless you have a union agreement or employment contract to the contrary, you are an "at will" worker. This means that your employer can set the conditions of work much as it sees fit (absent some form of legally actionable discrimination). Accordingly, you can be disciplined (up to and including termination) for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. At this point, you just may want to consdier getting a different job.
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
As unfair as it may seem, your mnager did nothing wrong. The fact is that unless you have a union agreement or employment contract to the contrary, you are an "at will" worker. This means that your employer can set the conditions of work much as it sees fit (absent some form of legally actionable discrimination). Accordingly, you can be disciplined (up to and including termination) for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. At this point, you just may want to consdier getting a different job.
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