Check your state's labor laws when you are fired.
Employers can fire you for a number of reasons, including poor performance, economic uncertainty in the marketplace and insubordination. However, if you are fired because you are a vegetarian and you refuse to work around meat, you might have legal options available to keep your job.
Falsified Resume
Companies have the right to fire employees who lie or falsify information on their resumes to get a position within the company. The company for which you work hired you based upon a particular set of qualifications you possessed at the time of your interview. For instance, if you said in your resume that you worked in a deli at one point, your employer would have reason to believe that you previously worked around meat based on your previous experience. Refusing to work around meat after you are hired might appear fraudulent to your employer.
Religious Beliefs
Employers cannot fire you for your religious beliefs because of civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s and 1970s that protects workers. Terminating your employment because of your religious practices infringes on your civil liberties as a United States citizen. For example, if part of your religious doctrine states that you are not allowed to touch or work around meat, and your boss fires you because of that fact, you can claim that your civil rights were violated.
Complaints
Employers in the United States are forbidden from firing you because of legitimate complaints you file within the company. For example, if you file a complaint with your manager that says you are physically sickened by the sight of meat at your workplace and that you want to change positions, the manager cannot fire you for this complaint. If your manager fires you for filing a complaint, this is considered wrongful termination.
Right-to-Work States
Some states have Right-to-Work laws in their labor code that limit the recourse an employee can take after her employer fires her. In states with employee unions, your employer must have a valid and legally permissible reason to fire you. If your state is a Right-to-Work state, your employer might be able to fire you for any reason it wants. For instance, if your employer sees your refusal to work around meat as a nuisance that hinders productivity, your employer can fire you legally.
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