When does a private life no longer be subject to employer's rule or Are WE SLAVES?

[ScottH1979]

Jurisdiction

New Jersey

I have been terminated for an argument ( verbal only ) with a person in the parking lot ( leased not owned by my former employer) the person made a customer complaint. now this occurred after I was off duty and off the clock and not within my work are of job duties.This is also the parking lot of a multitude of business and this person may not be in fact a customer of my specific employer. that said I was fired for breaking company policy (Argument with customer ) of which i have never received a company handbook As when i was hired six years ago they did not have any to supply and no attempt was made to distribute one to me. My question is does the company reach extend to every aspect of my life. Am i a SLAVE because if I am the property of this company on or off the clock, and they dictate anything I say or do in defence of my family that was beeing attacked by this person Verbally , well then do i not deserve the hours and hours of unpaid Off the clock compensation as they seem to think that my work is not complete after I clock out and they can terminate me for whatever reason they decide. if not this then was i wrongfully terminated as i did not breach any policy to my knowlage?

 

[army judge]

Slavery, in the LEGAL sense, began to die when Congress passed into on law the 13th amendment on January 31, 1865, later ratified by the state majority process on December 6, 1865, which abolished slavery in the United States.

An employee working at will can be fired without cause or explanation, or just because your boss man or boss woman wants to imitate Donald Trump for the day.

YOU'RE FIRED!!!

Yes, it sucks, but its 100% US certified legal.

As far as training you, unless you're plying certain occupations, no training is required.

Regards policies and procedures, not required, and can be made up and applied differently, as long as the laws against discrimination aren't violated.

You can begin a new job search, taking this life lesson with you, and apply for unemployment if you wish.

 

[txls]

You are FREE to do whatever you want with whomever you want when you are off the clock. Your employer is FREE to terminate your employment for no reason at all, as army judge stated, unless discrimination laws are violated.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

The likely problem you have is that work is generally "at will" in the United States. You don't have a right to continue working at your job the same way you don't have a right to renew the lease on the apartment within which you've been living for 10 straight years - unless you have a contract that states that you have such an option. As a result, you can be terminated for a reason or no reason at all at any time. Unless you can prove you've been terminated for a reason that violates law, such as a constitutional protection like discrimination against race or religion, you don't have recourse. It is their option to fire you with or without a reason. I wish you the best of luck and am truly sorry to hear about the dedication you've had regarding your former employer. It is possible that an employment attorney may be able to find a cause of action but I am skeptical. Some employment attorneys may provide you with a free legal consultation.

 

[Betty3]

As the others noted, in at will employment you can be terminated at any time for any reason except for a reason prohibited by law (such as religion, race, gender....) or unless you have a binding employment contract to the contrary.

You note not being paid for off the clock work. If you are a non-exempt employee (sounds like it) and were not paid for all time/hours worked, you can file a wage claim with your state's DOL.

You can file for unemployment ins. The state will decide if you qualify. You can also look for other employment. Good luck.

 

[Disabled Vet]

If you were off the clock so to speak. Why were you conducting company business? If this person had a issue with the company while you were off the clock. Then you should have directed them towards the proper person to speak with. The excuse of not having a company handbook will not fly. You had been there long enough to know the rules. At least being able to get a hole of the company handbook by requesting copy. Good luck in your future.

 

[cbg]

Are you suggesting that you should be able to have a fight with the customer, which could easily impact how he does business with your employer, but that your employer should be prohibited from being able to do anything about it?

 

[ElleMD]

You are not a slave as you are free to leave at any time. Fighting with a customer or client is a huge no-no that should not require a handbook to figure out. It doesn't matter if you were on the clock or off, your conduct had the potential to negatively impact the company. That is an entirely legal reason to terminate and I'd venture to say how 99% of employers would react.