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Exactly. You can quit your job whenever you want. Why would you want it any other way?
I'm kinda on the fence though... have been and observed several situations in which employees were obviously taken advantage even if no legal recourse. I think there should be some sort of protections even minimal.
Given the current job market, some employers have taken advantage of the situation and push employees in unfair ways. Conversely, employees had better conditions when the job market was good. My feeling is why should the conditions under which employees should endure be subject to economics? It shouldn't and thus I feel that there is something lacking in At-will employment common law.
But
I do agree with you,
If force to choose between servitude (which was the origin of this law) with employment protections versus freedom without employment protections, you are right.. I would rather have the freedom to leave.
In my particular situation, that's exactly what I did... it was painful because I felt forced to quit which meant I had to fight for unemployment benefits. In the process burned through savings and almost lost my house (which is why I feel there is something missing in the at-will law).
As has been said, "it goes with the territory" and if you work retail it's a given that you're bound to.
Everyone I know who works retail or in the tourist industry where I live works on holidays - including Christmas Day. It's one of the biggest cruise ship days of the year so everything is up and running apart from government offices. Thanksgiving, Easter, etc. - just another working day.
When I worked in customer service we were absolutely open and quite busy during the holidays. I think many people fail to do proper research into a job before they apply for it.
They can do it legally and I would not want the power to be taken away from a company to fire people who don't want to work the holiday if the store is open. That decision has to remain with the company.
But the whole concept is disgusting. It wouldn't matter which day stores did this, the crowds would show. And it isn't shoppers asking stores to move the time up earlier and earlier - although that's exactly what the retailers would have us believe. It's the corporation thinking they'll have an edge if they open up their doors for the big sales earlier than the other stores, but not being willing to admit that it's about the almighty dollar. So they lie and say, "We're just giving consumers what they're asking for." Soon, we'll see some celebrate the holiday on Wednesday so their family members can get all the deals on Thursday and Friday. It's no longer the holiday that's important, but scoring the best deals.
I don't support it. I don't care if someone was giving away homes and cars for free, I won't ever shop to get a deal on Thanksgiving. I feel sorry for those who do not get to celebrate this important holiday the way it should be celebrated. Just another indication of how we've lost our way.
Many years ago the freight terminal I worked for was slow Thanksgiving week. They posted a signup sheet for employees to request off on Thursday and Friday. I was running commercial trucks with a partner and both of us wanted to be home for the holiday - so we signed up not to work. Our employer asked us to run one trip on Monday to Orlando and back from Pennsylvania and we agreed - since the round trip should have only taken 32 hours. We traveled to Orlando and they did not have any freight to come pack to PA. They sent us to Dallas and there we ended up broken down on Thanksgiving day! at least, for most employees, you get to be home with your family for part of the day.
Most holidays I have worked - like this year (while no longer trucking). I also have spent most of my time working nights. Many companies require us to make a dollar for them. If they don't make money; we are out of business and out of work. For the people that do not like to work nights, weekends, holidays; there are companies that are always traditionally closed. Those are the companies that people should seek out if they do not want to work on days that are important to them.
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