New York City Council has introduced a bill that would protect workers from unreasonable firings.
Through this new bill, employers would be banned from firing an employee without a valid reason. This, in theory, would encourage managers to make better efforts in identifying what potential issues a specific employee has run into, and whether it can be remedied.
Of course, any worker that engages in inappropriate or illicit activity still has the ability to be fired. However, it also opens the door for workers to claim that they were unjustly fired.
This bill extends current laws that protect fast-food workers to independent contractors, including those who may be subject to surveillance software.
The at-will employment bill reignites the power that employees have in the workplace and protect them from being the victim of petty firings. Instead, the goal is that employers go through all the proper training and mediation before making any decision about the future of someone’s employment.