Legal Question in Employment Law in Washington
Downsizing position given 2 options
I work for a Seattle Non-profit who just today gave me two options. One to take a part-time job and lose benefits or take a severance package and have paid benefits. I might be missing the mark here but if I took the PT position (which I am not) I would be on a performance improvement plan for this job for one month and if didn't do well would be terminated without severance. Since I have had good reviews in past this actions seems bogus. I am more likely to take the severance package but I don't want others to suffer the same fate as I. Is there anything I can do?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Downsizing position given 2 options
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do. The employer can terminate you for any reason or for no reason at all, so long as it is not an illegal reason. Here, they seem to be backing you into a termination. That's not a good position to be in, but unless there is a collective bargaining agreement or other employment contract to the contrary, they can legally do it. You would have recourse only if you have a solid reason to believe they are doing this for an illegal reason (such a retaliation for an L & I claim, or discrimination because of your membership in a protected group.)
The only good news is that on the facts presented here, even though you "elected" to be terminated, you probably still qualify for unemployment compensation.
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