Massachusetts Law About Employment Termination
See Also:
Selected Case Law
Electronic Data Systems Corp. v. Attorney General & another, 454 Mass. 63 (2009). "The Wage Act requires that an employer pay an employee for unused vacation time remaining at the time of the employee's involuntary discharge..."
Web Sources
Can an employee be fired for no reason?, Boston Globe. "Although it seems almost impossible to believe, employers in Massachusetts, or in any other employee-at-will state, can fire any employee at any time for any reason — or even for no reason at all. An employer can terminate any employee, with or without notice."
Exceptions to the At-Will Employment Doctrine, Robert S. Mantell. "The at-will employment doctrine, that an employee can be terminated for any reason or for no reason, is a doctrine whose validity is dwarfed by its numerous exceptions." This article lists those exceptions with references to Mass. General Laws.
Use Caution When it Comes to Terminations, Boston Globe, Aug. 17, 2008. While you can usually terminate an employee the day he gives two-weeks notice, there are many important reasons not to.
What are an employee's rights during an investigation?, Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries. Provides summaries of rights under Garrity, Kalkines, and Weingarten.
What to Do When You Are Fired or Laid Off: A Complete Guide to the Benefits & Legal Rights You Need to Know to Get Back on Your Feet, Atlantic Publishing, 2009. Steps to take before and after you lose your job. Requires Library Card for access.
Print Sources
Employee discharge and documentation, Lorman Education Services, 2008.
Hiring and firing in Massachusetts, by John F. Adkins, MCLE, c2007.
Wrongful termination and exceptions to employment at-will, MCLE, c2007.