Severence Pay Questions

[Stephanie3225]

I was recently fired due to downsizing. My company offered me one month severence pay. In the past employees who we fired or quit received more severence pay for working at the company for a lesser amount of time.

The company's CFO offered me 3 months without the higher ups knowing about it. I want 6 months in a lump sum. I worked there 4 1/2 years, and there have been others who've only worked there 2 years and received 3 months. In the past the same CFO has also payed out lump sum severence to others (I believe he dated some of them).

Do I have legal rights here? I'm in New York.

 

[cbg]

Unless you have a contract or CBA that provides for the amount of severance you must recieve, you are entitled to what the company provides; no more, no less.

That's not to say that you don't have the right to negotiate. Certainly you can. But severance is not mandated by Federal or state law, so you have no legal standing to make demands.