Florida Injury Attorney Blawg
At-will employment allows employers to adjust the terms of employment with employees at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, and without legal consequence. Montana is the only state that is not an at-will employment state.
At-will employment not only subjects employees to arbitrary terminations and reductions in hours, it discourages employees from making legitimate internal complaints about company operations.
Some cities and states have carved out exceptions to the at-will law. However, the exceptions are mostly limited in scope to government employees. New York City enacted a law to protect employees of large fast-food restaurant chains in the city.
Collective bargaining agreements forged by unions also include exceptions. They can cover goverment and private business employees.
The exceptions typically apply a “just cause” or “good cause” standard. Just cause under New York City’s law, the Wrongful Discharge of Fast Food Employees law, is defined as “the fast food employee’s failure to satisfactorily perform job duties or misconduct that is demonstrably and materially harmful to to the fast food employer’s legitimate business interests.”