Can I be fired for being charged with but not convicted of something if I work for a large non-profit in Alaska
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Can I be fired for being charged with but not convicted of something if I work for a large non-profit in Alaska
I have been charged with violating a protection order from another state. The process has just begun and my employer found out. I haven’t been convicted and I work for a large non-profit in Alaska. The order was civil and there was no violence involved.
Asked on August 16, 2019 under Employment Labor Law, Alaska
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
Unless you have protection under the terms of an employment contract or union agreement, you are an "at will" worker. This means that you can be terminated for the reason that you cite, or for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. The fact is that a business can set the conditions of employment much as it sees fit (absent some form of legally actionable discrimination).
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
The only real question is: do you have a written employment contract for a defined period of time (e.g. a one-year, two-year, five-year, etc. contract) which is still in effect (e.g. has not expired) which protects or guarantees your job and which would prevent you termination for this reason? If you do not, yes, you can be terminated for being charged without being convicted, since without a contract like that described above, you are an employee at will, and an employee at will may be terminated at any time, for any reason--even for as-yet unproven charges of a nonviolent offense. An employee at will has no rights to his or her job and can lose it at any time.
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