I was fired today because I refused to work on my day off. Were my rights violated?
Posted 06-12-2013
Steve Duggan replies:
I am sorry to hear about your situation. But, unless there is a law or a collective bargaining agreement (union) actually giving an employee a right to refuse to work certain hours or numbers of hours or to do certain kinds of jobs, then the employee has no right to say “no” to any employer request. Therefore, an employer may respond to an employee’s refusal to work certain hours, or on his day off, or overtime, by terminating the individual’s employment. Employment at will means an employee has the right to quit, without or without a reason or notice, but no other rights beyond that unless specifically granted by the law or a contract. I am not aware of any such law in Texas, or any other state, and you did not indicate you were a union member and had such a right by contract.
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.
