Fired For Refusing to Work Because of Coronavirus? | Mann & Elias
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Wrongfully Terminated For Refusing to Work Because of Coronavirus?

Our Wrongful Termination Attorney in Los Angeles Has Won Millions For Our Clients

The outbreak of COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, has caused a great deal of concern and anxiety in homes and workplaces across the country. Many employers are doing the right thing. They have made the health and well-being of their employees their top concern and are allowing people to work from home. However, companies in the retail, hospitality, and other such industries are not able to give most of their employees this option, but are trying to be as flexible as they can when it comes to pay, sick leave, and related matters. Another option that employers are turning to is laying off employees.

Whatever the case may be, it is absolutely necessary that all employees know their rights in regards to employment law. If you believe you have been treated unfairly, then you should hire an employment attorney in Los Angeles.

Using Your Sick Leave

If your employer allows you to take time off to care for your own illness, they must allow you to do the same to care for your child, spouse, partner, or relative. Although you may not develop the symptoms associated with COVID-19, it is quite possible that an elderly relative can. You may need to spend days arranging for them to be cared for, or you may have to get directly involved in ensuring that they receive the food and medical supplies that they need to get through their illness.

If you have a child with a pre-existing condition that may be severely exacerbated by the virus, then you may need to take time off to purchase the necessary items, medications, and other supplies required to treat them. It may also be necessary for you to make arrangements that will ensure their safety.

Your employer may dispute your right to take sick leave under these circumstances. Under current law, the company you work for may have the right to forbid you from taking days off. You should consult with an employment attorney in Los Angeles sooner rather than later. Your lawyer will give you the legal insight you need in this situation.

If You’re in a High-Risk Group

If you have a condition or disability that threatens your life should you contract COVID-19, you have the right to request leave or, if possible, permission to work from home. People with respiratory problems or those who are undergoing treatment for other illnesses or diseases are most at risk if they catch this virus. If you are in this group, then your employer must offer reasonable accommodation. Your employer must also keep information about your illness confidential.

It is also against the law for employers to ask employees who do not have symptoms whether they have COVID-19. Nor may your employer make decisions about your health based on stereotypes. It is especially important to enforce this specific protection.

There has been a great deal of discussions about the origins of COVID-19. Because of this, there has been a rise of hate crimes against people of Asian descent. If you are a person of Asian descent who is being harassed by your co-workers and asked inappropriate questions by your supervisors, you can hold the company liable for discrimination.

This is a time of a pandemic. It is a time in which people should be coming together and looking out for one another. Unfortunately, not everyone is interested in doing that. Some people are exploiting the crisis to press their own prejudices. Although suing your company is the last thing you want to do at the moment, you should not allow yourself to be bullied, humiliated, and subjected to unfair treatment. A Los Angeles workplace lawyer will help you build a case against the people who have allowed racism and discrimination to flourish in your workplace. A Los Angeles workplace lawyer is the only professional you can trust to get justice.

Final Wages

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the American economy. The airline, hospitality, retail industry, as well as many other industries have collapsed. Many of the events scheduled for the coming spring and summer seasons have been postponed or cancelled. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people who were hired in preparation for a summertime boom and have been laid off in the last week due to the virus, you are still entitled to your final wages.

If you have not received your final wages and you believe your former employer is stalling, then you should hire a Los Angeles employment lawyer. They will work on your behalf to get you the pay that you are owed.

A Los Angeles employment lawyer can also help those who are owed severance pay. If you are one of the many people who have worked in one of the affected industries for years and now suddenly find yourself out of a job and have no prospect of finding a new one, then you will be in desperate need of the money owed to you as part of a severance package. You should not delay. It is in your best interest to contact a Los Angeles employment lawyer today.

If You Were Fired for Refusing to Work

Numerous states have closed restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, and other places in which large numbers of people gather. If you work at such a place, you cannot be fired for refusing to come into work. If an employee was let go because of cancelled bookings or a precipitous fall in demand, that is one thing. If an employee was fired for refusing to work because of COVID-19, that is something completely different. The latter is illegal. And if your termination falls into this category, then you should call a wrongful termination attorney Los Angeles.

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