Are you employed as a cook? Were you fired from your job and do you have the evidence to prove it was illegal? If this is the case then you may have been the victim of a wrongful termination.
Under both state and federal law, your employer is not permitted to fire you if there is no legal reason to do so even if you are an employee at-will. According to the employment-at-will principle, an employer is not permitted to fire a worker for any reason that is considered to be a violation of state, federal or local anti-discrimination laws. If you believe that your employer wrongfully terminated then you may be entitled to file an employment law claim today.
Common Types of Wrongful Termination
If you were working as a cook and you were terminated because you complained about any of the following your termination may be prohibited by law:
- cramped, unsafe conditions in your kitchen;
- a kitchen work environment that was too hot and therefore a danger to health;
- the electrical appliances you used to cook are poorly maintained and cause electric shocks almost every day;
- there are insufficient cleaners to clean and disinfect the kitchen;
- freezers kept failing. which meant food was both hazardous to cook and eat.
Any of these complaints are not legal reasons for terminating you.
There are several other reasons that could lead to your termination so if your termination falls under any of the categories in the list below, then you may have been wrongfully terminated.
- Discrimination based on your sexual orientation as federal laws do not permit employers from discriminating against their employees because due to their sexual orientation.
- Your employer cannot retaliate by firing you for submitting a complaint about a matter related to your job or if you are acting as a whistleblower.
- Racism/race discrimination – some employers continue to be race biased and employees for their skin color or ethnicity, which is illegal.
- Gender discrimination is not permitted by law, even though a few employers may promote a man rather than a woman, or sometimes they terminate women far more quickly than with men.
- When it comes to disability discrimination an employer is required to make reasonable accommodation for a disabled worker, such as supplying a lower kitchen preparation table for a cook who is shorter than the average person. The employer cannot fire you because of a your disability if you are quite capable of doing the job.
- Age discrimination is common typically for anyone over 40 years of age. Sometimes older workers are fired and replaced with younger ones who better fit the image and style of the company.
What to Do If You’ve Been Wrongfully Terminated as a Cook
If you are a cook and you believe you were wrongfully terminated, your best defense is to collect sufficient evidence to support your wrongfully terminated case. You will need to gather together the following:
- all of the employment documents you have like your latest contract as a cook;
- the employee handbook;
- the workplace policies;
- job performance evaluations you have been subjected to and the date(s);
- termination notice etc.;
- timeline of events leading to your termination notice;
- witnesses’ statements describing your job performance.
If you are terminated despite being in receipt of positive reviews, this can be a clear sign of wrongful termination. You should carefully track down your employer’s behavior and ask your co-workers know if they can recollect any other times when termination has taken place for no obvious reason.
To help to support your wrongful termination claim you should ask witnesses, such as co-workers to write statements that prove you were wrongfully terminated. This will help to place you in a better position to win your wrongful termination claim.
Get a Free Evaluation Today
If when working as a cook you know you were wrongfully terminated from your job, you should have your case reviewed under an employment law claim at no cost. When you work with an employment law attorney, they will assist you to find and collect the evidence you will need and help you to prepare all the required paperwork for your employment law claim.
Some employment law attorneys typically work on a contingency fee arrangement while others charge by the hour. Get a Free Case Evaluation today and get the compensation you deserve for your wrongful termination.
