Faced with the dreaded blank page, I thought about what would make my posting and the reading pleasure of the reader easier. One idea is to have a focused discussion of Three Tips that can prove helpful to others.
So, for Part One: Three Tips for Employees in Iowa
1. Unless you have a contract of employment [oral or written or implied, subject to many circumstances special to a situation], a public policy recognized in Iowa or a statutory protection, you are an employee "at will" and either or both you and your employer can call a halt to your employment relationship for no reason at all. As is true in most situations in the law, "the Devil is in the details". A good general discussion of employment law, including this topic, is at Workplace Fairness
2. One powerful protection for employees in Iowa is the Wage Payment Collection Act, Chapter 91A of the Code. Basically, the law was passed and has been interpreted in a favorable way for employees to facilitate their being able to collect the wages due them when they leave their employment. Of course, the Devil is around there too, but the statute is fairly clear in its requirements. The best way to deal with disputes over who owes what, how much and when is to deal directly with your [former] employer, since lawsuits are unpleasant and perhaps even unnecessary.
3. Another protection for employees, subject to many limitations and exceptions, is the Drug Testing statute, Section 730.5 of the Iowa Code. A fairly good discussion from the perspective of the Workforce Development department can be found at Drug Testing Issues
Well, there are your Three Tips. I'll expand upon them in future blogging.
