Although collective bargaining agreements negotiated by unions typically include just-cause protections against termination, when it comes to individual employment agreements, fixed terms are unusu.
al; just-cause contracts are even less common. Which means if you are not a union member you should carefully look over your contract to make sure that you have a just-cause agreement in it, or else you could be spending some time in the unemployment line.
III. Wrongful Termination.
Wrongful termination of an employee can be broken up into two general categories. The first is activities that, when participated in by an employee, protect the employee from retaliatory actions from the employer, such as firing or disciplinary action. Any retaliation by the company could result in potential legal trouble, such as a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Here are three areas of protected employee conduct that employers should be aware of:.
Voicing concerns about workplace issues .
Understandably, most employers want their employees to feel free to raise workplace concerns. Raising issues regarding health, safety or other legal violations is a protected action. When the concern involves a person in authority, the employee is protected whether they tell someone within the company or an outside labor organization. If an investigation proves that the complaint was legitimate, the company should take immediate action to address the complaint. But even if a complaint is later proven to be unfounded, the employee is still protected by law. The company should be careful to deal with all the grudges of both the accused and the accuser, making sure that the accuser does not experience any retaliation.
Personal lives .
Information regarding the choices an employee makes regarding their personal lives can't be used against them. For example, if an employee shares that they often drink alcohol during his or her off time, that information is protected.
