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(Not under the enforcement powers of the Division of Labor and Industry)
In Maryland, employees work "at the will" of their employers. This means, in
the absence of an express contract, agreement or policy to the
contrary, an employee may be hired or fired for almost any reason
-- whether fair or not -- or for no reason at all.
There are certain exceptions to this general rule which provide some protection
to employees from illegal discrimination based on such categories
as race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability
or marital status. Examples of other employment at-will exceptions
include laws which protect employees from termination or retaliation
for filing workers' compensation claims, for attempting to enforce
rights to receive overtime or the minimum wage, for asserting
rights to work in a safe and healthy workplace, for refusing to
commit criminal acts, for reporting for jury duty or military
service, or for being subject to a wage attachment for any one
indebtedness. Terminating an employee for any of these specific
reasons may constitute a violation under the applicable State or federal law.
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