Assistance with Negotiating an Employment Severance Package in Iowa

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Unless otherwise agreed upon between an employer and an employee, Iowa is known as an “at-will” employment state. At will means that an employer can terminate an employee’s employment at any time and for any reason not prohibited by law. Similarly, employees are permitted to voluntarily end their employment at any time, for any reason. Iowa has no laws mandating that companies offer employee severance packages. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your lay off or employment termination, as well as your company’s specific policy, you may or may not be able to negotiate a severance package.

 

Therefore, the first step in negotiating a severance package from your employer is to obtain a copy of your company handbook if you don’t already have one. Review the handbook to determine if your company has a policy regarding severance packages, then use that information for guidance about how to negotiate a severance package.

 

If you belong to a labor union, your union’s bargaining contract may contain provisions regarding severance. Additionally, your union may have someone who can provide you with free legal help concerning negotiating a severance package. You will need to contact your union to determine if there is any such legal assistance available.

 

A Sioux City, Iowa, television station has a question and answer article written by Mark Risk about how to maximize a severance package for laid-off employees, which can be found at, http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?s=11712096&clienttype=printable.

 

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission’s (ICRC) website contains a wealth of free legal aid for individuals who believe they have been discriminated against. The ICRC defines discrimination as different treatment based on race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, retaliation, or age.

 

Retaliation is adverse treatment in employment based on prior complaints of unfair treatment, as well as participating in complaints or investigations about or opposing any prior unfair treatment. Though the ICRC does not provide legal help for negotiating severance packages, it does provide legal support to assist visitors with determining whether they have been subject to discrimination, information which may then be used to help them negotiate a severance package.

 

An attorney who is experienced with employment law legal services would be able to provide you with advice and assistance to determine whether obtaining a severance package would be feasible for you and if it is, to help you negotiate it as well. A list of attorneys throughout Iowa who provide legal aid for employment law issues can be found on the Iowa State Bar Association’s website at, http://www.iowabar.org/AttorneyOnLine.nsf/results?ReadForm&c2=&a=Employment.

 

For low income individuals who qualify, various agencies throughout Iowa provide free legal assistance or legal services at a reduced cost. The Iowa Legal Aid website provides contact information for each such agency.