Illinois is an at-will employment state. Employers may fire workers at any time for a good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all. Because of the broad nature of this law, many people feel they have no rights when it comes to employment discharge issues. Fortunately, that is not the case. You have significant rights in these situations, and an assertive Tinley Park wrongful discharge attorney can uphold these rights for you in court.
At the Law Offices of Mitchell A. Kline, we are dedicated to Cook County workers and their families. We stand up for people who endure significant hardships to punch in every day and provide for their loved ones. Under the law, that suffering has limits. There are some lines that employers cannot cross, even in Illinois and other at-will states. If you need the services of a dedicated Tinley Park wrongful termination attorney, contact us now.
For the most part, the law does not punish proportional retaliation. In fact, in many cases, it even encourages such responses. The retaliatory discharge doctrine is one of the biggest exceptions to this general rule.
Generally, retaliatory discharge claims involve an employee’s participation in a protected activity. These activities include:
If you reasonably believe that you were the victim of retaliatory discharge, you need to speak with a Tinley Park wrongful termination attorney immediately in order to protect your rights.
In most cases, “paperless” is a good thing. But in this case, paperless is a bad thing, especially for aggrieved workers.
Employers certainly have the right to discharge employees who have a documented history of disciplinary or other issues. Many workplaces follow the verbal warning, written warning, and termination trajectory.
Sometimes, however, employers jump the gun. They skip the preliminary steps and proceed directly to termination. In most cases, unless the employee was guilty of grievous misconduct, such procedures are illegal. These discharges are like houses without foundations. Unless paperwork supports the firing, the firing cannot stand up in court, in most cases.
Other times, employers unfairly single out some employees for an adverse action. An employer must treat everyone the same. The boss cannot write up Sam for being late and fire Ed for the same infraction.
The legal requirement to treat everyone the same goes beyond disciplinary issues. Indeed, it goes to the very heart of the landmark Civil Rights Act and the legislation it spawned. It is always illegal to discriminate based on:
A Tinley Park wrongful termination attorney can review the facts and determine if you have a claim for relief. If so, you may be entitled to both compensation and justice. Both these things are vitally important to you, and to us.
Even in at-will states like Illinois, wrongful termination is illegal. For a free consultation with an experienced employment law attorney in Tinley Park, contact the Law Office of Mitchell A. Kline. We routinely handle matters in Cook County and nearby jurisdictions.
