can a temp agency legally blackball me?

Question

maybe "blackball' is not the right term. can the employment agency refuse to hire me anymore because I left an assignment (I was in the hospital).

Answer 1

That depends on what is in your employment contract, what state you are in, and what you mean by blackball. Give us more details! Is there a covenant not to compete in your agreement? Are you a secretarial temp or something else? What kind of blackballing are you talking about? Why do they want to blackball you?

Okay, given your additional information, unless your contract with the employment agency states that they will hire you , then yes, they can choose to not hire you based upon the fact that you did not complete a prior assignment. The fact that you were in the hospital should be a mitigating circumstance, but if you were unprofessional about the situation by, for example, not notifying them as soon as possible of your circumstances so they could find your replacement, then they would have every right to refuse to use you for jobs in the future.

If I were in your situation and the temp agency was refusing to use me for jobs, I would switch temp agencies. Your chances of success with the current one seem pretty slim.

Answer 2

"Blackball" to other agencies, no, not take your business yes. If they are contacting other agencies you may have legal recourse -- seek legal council if this is happening.

Answer 3

Depends on what you mean by "blackball".

Answer 4

As long as they do not base there decision off of any immutable characteristic they can. Immutable characteristics are race, sex, reliegion, disability, etc. etc.

Answer 5

Do you mean Blackmail? I don't think it is legal for anyone to blackmail. Maybe we need more details.