What are the main federal or state laws that might forbid termination of an at-will employee?
Under federal and state law, an employer cannot discipline or fire an employee on the basis of race, sex, national origin (for example, being Hispanic), age, disability (or a serious medical condition under state law), religion and a few other criteria. An employer also cannot harass an employee because of any of these criteria. For example, an employer cannot create or allow the creation of a hostile work environment based on an employee’s sex or race. Finally, an employer cannot retaliate against an employee who asserts rights or files a complaint based on a reasonable belief that he or she has been discriminated against on one of the protected criteria. – Top of page – • What are some of the specific federal laws that protect employees? • Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, forbids discrimination on the basis of race, sex, natural origin, religion, and some other categories. • The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is an amendment to Title VII and outlaws discrimination on
