Minnesota is an at-will employment state. Either party in an employment arrangement can theoretically terminate the relationship without notice or explanation.
Employers can fire workers without explaining why or providing advance notice. Workers can walk off in the middle of a shift and never come back without risking any sort of penalty, other than their employer potentially making them ineligible for rehire in the future.
Some workers assume that they have very few rights in an at-will employment state. Is it possible for workers to hold businesses accountable for a wrongful termination?
Terminations can violate worker rights
While businesses can typically fire employees for almost any reason or potentially no specific reason under Minnesota’s at-will employment regulations, they are still subject to laws regarding both discrimination and retaliation. If a firing violates an employee’s legal protections, then the firing may be wrongful.
A discrimination-related firing occurs when employers consider an employee’s age, sex, race, medical condition, religion or other protected personal characteristic when deciding the future of their employment with the company. Similarly, if the employer fires a worker for engaging in protected workplace activities, their termination could be wrongful.
Attempting to unionize with co-workers, requesting medical accommodations, reporting safety concerns or asking for support when facing harassment are all protected activities that should not trigger penalties. If employers punish workers after they engage in protected activities, then the situation may constitute unlawful retaliation and therefore a wrongful termination.
Retaining documentation of what happened and reviewing it with an employment law attorney could be beneficial for those who suddenly lost their jobs. If a termination was wrongful, litigation may be an option.
