Right-to-Work Laws don't mean your employer can fire you at any time for any reason (US Law)
"I live in a right-to-work state, so my employer can shitcan me for any reason".
-Linus K. Lemming
Sorry friends, that's at-will employment, *and you still can't be terminated for any reasons that are protected by law, but we're not here to discuss that. Right-to-work laws mean one thing: that non-union employees cannot be required to contribute to the cost of union representation.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibits "closed shops", where union membership is a condition of employment; however, union represented positions can still be required to contribute to the cost of that representation. Right-to-work laws prohibit that requirement, allowing employees in union represented positions who choose not to join the union to also choose whether or not they contribute to the union's costs, i.e., if they pay dues or not.
I see this mistake frequently and thought folks might want to know the correct information so they don't unintentionally perpetuate it.
Edit: updated to include link to info about at-will employment.
The great thing about bigots is most tend to be fucking stupid. Plenty of stories of people being explicitly told in writing they were being fired over something with title IX protections.
They can fire you even in the protected parts as well. Because at will places DON'T HAVE TO STATE THE REASON YOU WERE FIRED. I know plenty of people including myself who was fired even though I was supposed to be protected. But since they never stated reason for firing you then good luck proving it. At will you can fired for looking funny or manger just feels like it.
I live in shit hole states that are at will there is zero protections for employees in these states.
I live in an at will employment state and have been a manager for quite some time. Iâve never seen an employee actually terminated for their protected status race, religion, etc. Itâs always been because they had poor performance and/or attendance issues and didnât want to get better. If you arenât a solid average then itâs develop up or out. This isnât my POV, this is the reality of the performance conversations Iâve been involved with. Personal accountability is a major problem these days. If you have none then you wonât have a job for long. The good news is that if youâre solid in those areas then you will be valuable to your employer. This is why so many military applicants get picked up. They have a basis for attendance and completing the mission.
Having said that, Iâm sure youâre correct and discrimination does happen because their employer lied. I just think that it doesnât happen quite as often as believed. Many poor performers Iâve known have outright lied about why they were actually terminated.
Which they do. Quite often even. Shitty employers also employ shitty behaviors like consistently giving poor performance reviews regardless of actual performance. This gives them a paper trail to fire you on a whim, and it gives them an excuse to not give raises. "Just find a better job then!". Unfortunately these types of companies prey on the disadvantaged who typically don't have many options or the luxury of finding something better.
Yes, which is why you as the employee need to always have a âpaper trailâ. Make sure everything is written down, either on paper or electronically. After any phone call or in person meeting, make sure you follow up with an email that recaps what you discussed. BCC your personal email to make sure you retain a copy of the communications. Do not trust your employers to keep your email intact.
And never, ever, sign anything when youâre fired. Refuse any âexit interviewsâ; remember that anything you say can and will be held against you. No matter what your employer says, they absolutely cannot withhold your paycheck because you refuse to sign or interview when you lose your job.
It might also be worth looking up your stateâs laws on recording conversations. For example, in North Carolina, you only need one personâs consent to record conversations. And since youâre a part of that conversation, your consent is all you need. So if you have to, record your âone-on-one meetings/phone callsâ. But absolutely do not reveal that to your employers.
Before anyone gets excited, 49 out of 50 states are at-will. So the purpose of this post isnât about being mistaken about their ability to be shitcanned, only that theyâre mistaken about the type of law that allows it.
I downvoted because it doesn't give a good description of right-to-work and/or at-will employment, or include differences or the way the law applies in different areas. It's too broad of a post without enough specific relevant application to local law scenarios. It's opening a can of worms and could be misunderstood.
You're got to be kidding. The post is about right to work laws. It includes a summary of what that means, plus links for more information. So you downvoted because OP didn't compare and contrast two unrelated laws or write a dissertation on how right to work laws vary by state/county/city. Laws that by definition literally only do one thing. This shit is why people don't post more.
To highlight how ridiculous your comment is, I'll help OP out and provide what you found to be so lacking. I know this is going to make OP look pretty bad, so I'm sure they'll provide at least a partial refund of what you paid for their post.
At-will employment: you can be fired for anything not protected by law.
Right to work laws: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues.
Compare: they are applied to employees
Contrast: neither does anything similar
For my next trick, I'll provide specific relevant application for local law scenarios by state.
Alabama: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Arkansas: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Georgia: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Idaho: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Indiana: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Iowa: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Kansas: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Kentucky: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Louisiana: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Michigan: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Mississippi: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Nebraska: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
North Carolina: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
North Dakota: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Oklahoma: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
South Carolina: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
South Dakota: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Tennessee: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Texas: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Utah: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Virginia: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Washington: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
West Virginia: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Wisconsin: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
Wyoming: employees in unionized workplaces cannot negotiate employment contracts which require that non union employees must pay union dues
I appreciate the intent but this is just what happens when you put yourself out on the Internet. Hell, on an old account I made a post about how to use a waffle sandwich maker with cheddar biscuit mix and it was 10% downvoted. I think it's some combination of valid (if unstated) criticism, accidental downvotes, and some people just being assholes.
I don't care, I'm just trying to provide what I think is useful information. If people have a problem but don't speak up about it, I can't do anything so I'm not going to worry about it. As another poster mentioned below, they're welcome to a full refund. I'll even triple it. Triple refund!
I look at down vote ratio for sentiment and to ID who else is commenting. With bot nets, paid shills and shit nowadays, got to keep an eye on what is going beyond what people are saying was more of my point about it.
Tinfoil on: for example anti labor positioned actor would down voted factually correct post like this merely because it benefits some wage slave. They act like this when they can't engage on the topic honestly.
tankie litmus test: Did Mao and Stalin do anything wrong... watch them work that one đ¤Ł
I do not know why these two concepts are so frequently conflated and misunderstood, but they absolutely are.
Thanks for the solid clarification. At-will and RTW are two very different concepts, and off the top of my head, forty-nine of the fifty states are at-will. The 50th state isn't all that different (MT), just a bit nuanced: "Montana defaults to a probationary period, after which termination is only lawful if for good cause"