Forced to quit from employment.
Question Details:
I was forced to quit from my job because another employee failed to lock the backdoor to a retail store. I received a call from the alarm co. that there was movement going on in one of the entry points and I assumed that it was the front door of the store due to very high winds. So, I told the alarm company that it was probably the high winds and that I would check it later and the call ended. When I got to work 4 hrs. later, I found out that it had been the backdoor and I was told that I would be fired if I didn't quit because I did not respond to the alarm incident.
Companies have a right to fire employees at will, for any reason at all, as long as their is not an employment contract to the contrary. Even unfair reasons are legally valid, unfortunately.

I'm afraid that while seemingly unfair, their actions were legal. The reason - most employment relationships are what is known as "at will". This means that you can work for an employer, or not, your choice. In turn, the employer can hire or fire someone for any reason or no reason whatsoever.
The only exceptions to this are: 1) If there is an employment agreement or contract (which governs termination); 2) If there is a union or collective bargaining agreement (which governs termination); 3) If there is an employee handbook or other official policy statement (which governs termination); 4) If discrimination is a factor (there can be no termination for reasons of race, religion, age, disability, sex, national origin).

Are you a lawyer?
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