Most Workers Won’t Be as Lucky as Jimmy Kimmel

What employees are discovering, if they didn’t already know, is that free speech protections don’t always extend to private workplaces, especially when it comes to political speech. While other laws protect some speech, like the right to organize or blow the whistle about wrongdoing, many workers can be fired for anything they say on social media, if it runs afoul of their employers.

A big reason why is simply that most employers can fire most of their employees for any reason at any time. At-will employment is the standard in most states for most people, especially in the private sector. That means that most Americans work without any real job security at all, even if they may feel that they have it. That leaves too many Americans financially vulnerable.

Unions once provided some security, often requiring firing only for just cause, grievance procedures before an employee is fired, and other provisions like notice and severance in the case of layoffs. But unions have long been on the decline in the United States, especially in the private sector, and most workers don’t enjoy the protections they can provide. Jobs in the civil service, for federal and state governments, have long been some of the most secure in the U.S., but the Trump administration has attacked the federal workforce and, inspired by the Heritage Foundation’s Projects 2025, wants to force at-will employment on all federal employees.