In the State of Maryland, employees not covered by a union contract can be terminated for any reason, or for no reason at all.

However, employees covered by a union contract can only be terminated for "just cause" – simple words, but they mean a lot. It means that an employer can not arbitrarily terminate an employee.

In your union contract you will find information about the grievance and arbitration procedures that spell out what needs to be done when an employee believes they are being disciplined unfairly by an employer.