Can I do anything about my company laying me off before the contract is up?
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Can I do anything about my company laying me off before the contract is up?
I am being laid off at the end of the month, and our contract isn’t supposed to end until this coming spring. I have roughly three weeks left to find a job. I take care of my mom. They aren’t going to give us severance pay either.
Asked on August 8, 2019 under Employment Labor Law, Kentucky
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
If you personally have a written employment contract which guaranteed you work until a certain date, they are violating the contract by laying you off early. You could sue them, such as in small claims court, for the additional pay owed you. However, without a contract like that one described, they could lay you off whenever they like, even if the overall contract for the project still has time to run; you need a contract guarantying you work until a set date to have enforceable rights.
There is no right to severance unless you have a contravt giving it to you.
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