Let go of contracted work, any compensation?

[Peggy]

A friend of mine is a 66 year old nurse, who had been working on as a contract employee at a Coast Guard medical clinic in southern California.

The Coast Guard office that hired her in Alameda had renewed her contract in August for another 3 years. In November, abuptly, she gets fired for "incidences" that aren't necessary totally false, but no one has asked her side of the story and certainly had nothing to do that would have harmed a patient. She had also been harrassed verbally by the person who runs the clinic. She doesn't feel that she can fight the Coast Guard, but would like compensation for the remainder of her contract.

She was asked if she wanted to stay on for two weeks, she declined, She also did not recieve her final check until a month later.

(Background: In recent years, she has also worked for the Prison system, they just loved her. She found this job and before the new Chief Petty Officer arrived, everyone loved her work as well.)

I'm just wondering if she should contact the Workers' Compensation Board and/or an attorney to see if she has a case worth fighting.

The Coast Guard just posted an ad in the paper for her job.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time.

 

[Ex HR Guy]

She might see a lawyer who knows the ins and outs of government contract employment, but if her conduct was unprofessional, even if it did not harm anyone, I'd be cautious as things might get ugly.

 

[Attorney_Replogle]

Whether your friend should be compensated for the remainder of her employment contract depends upon the language of the contract, the nature of the charges against her, and possibly certain federal regulations. You most certainly should have your friend contact a labor law attorney that is experienced with military contracts. You can find one at attorneypages.com. Lastly, a Workers' Compensation attorney would be of no help to your friend. Workers' Compensation is only for job related injuries, not wrongful terminations.

------------------
Mark B. Replogle