Is is legal that I was “voluntarily terminated” by my employer for a new company policy that I was not furnished a copy of?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is is legal that I was “voluntarily terminated” by my employer for a new company policy that I was not furnished a copy of?
I’ve been told the new policy states that a prn employee must work once every 90 days. I tried to work but my supervisor would not schedule me and some months my supervisor would not even contact me before completing the schedule. Do I have any rights in this matter? Can my employer terminate me only by contacting me by letter? If I want to file a complaint about my termination who do I contact? Thanks.
Asked on November 30, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Kansas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately, in the situation you describe, you probably do not have any rights...that's because unless you had an employment contract, you were an employee at will. As the term "at will" implies, an employee at will may have hours reduced, might not be scheduled for work, or might be terminated, at any time, for any reason. If you had an employment contract, you can enforce its terms (e.g. regarding hours); without one, however, it's most likely that your employer could terminate you--including by not scheduling you for mandatory work--unless you can show that the termination was actually motivated by illegal discrimination against you on the basis of race, religion, age over 40, sex, or disabiltiy. (That's the federal law; it's possible your state adds a few more protected categories, such as sexual orientation or national origin.)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.