PaJ wrote:An employer can terminate employment for any reason (or no reason at all), so long as it does not break some other law such as discrimination laws or the parking lot law.
At will simply means there doesn't need to be a reason to terminate an employee or for the employee to quit. If the employer handles things correctly, if they found out a policy was being broken, they can simply terminate the employee and give no reason at all. They will still likely have to pay unemployment. If they fire someone for an offense, it will depend on how bad the offense is. For example, I had a guy taken out in handcuffs for theft. He did not qualify for unemployment. I let someone go earlier this week because she was causing disruptions in the workplace - basically not a good fit. She likely will qualify for unemployment. She accused me of discrimination, but after talking with our HR company, she has no basis for her claim....but that doesn't stop her from making one.
We also have a provision that says that if the employee believes there is a contradiction between the handbook and the law, the employee has the right to bring it to the employer's attention. If your handbook has that provision, you might discuss it with them. Or you might choose to go against the company policy realizing that, if caught, you could lose your job without really knowing why. Or you could follow the policy.
If he's a fitter for GM he likely is a UAW member, and has a lot more rights than you or I with regard to employment. "At will" doesn't apply to a union shop if it contradicts the collective bargaining agreement. It's also a bad idea for a business, especially a large business, to enforce a policy that is illegal by making up another reason for an employment action.