Perhaps you injured your back, neck or some other body part while lifting heavy equipment on the job. It’s time to file a workers’ compensation claim. You do the right thing and inform your employer of the incident immediately, then fill out all necessary paperwork so that you can be seen as soon as possible by a doctor who can evaluate your condition.
No more than a week later, you get a pink slip saying that your services at their company are no longer needed. You’ve been fired. How can this be??
FindLaw says that unless you signed a form agreeing that your employer cannot terminate you without good cause, you can assume you are an “at-will” employee. Basically, this means your employer can fire you for any reason whatsoever. They obviously will not say they are firing you because they want to avoid compensating you for your work injury, but they can come up with any tiny reason to get rid of you and you have no rights. Montana is the only state that protects employees from being terminated without good cause, as long as they fulfill a probationary employment period.
For more information regarding what to do when an employer terminates you after filing a workers’ compensation claim, read here.