Can your employer legally keep you from using competitor products?

[glen123098]

My brother is working for a tech support hotline for AT&T. They told him on his first day of training, that if anyone was caught with a Verizon, Sprint or other non At&T phone they would be fired. Besides being complete bullshit, is this legal? Keep in mind they did not just say he couldn't bring the phone to work. They said he couldn't sign a phone contract with a competitor period. So they are controlling what he can purchase in his free time.


My brother knows AT & T's service sucks, and despite working there, would not want a phone with them, especially considering they just instituted a 2gb bandwith cap on all phones.

[Digit]

1. I have a similar rule where I work

I also wondered if it were enforceable.

[havocmom]

2. In some states, employers do not need any sort of cause in order to fire

So, depending on where this is....

Workers don't have much in the way of protection anymore.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Sure, if nobody fights it.

--d!

[Cleita]

4. They shouldn't but nowadays employer seem to get

away with demanding things that should be considered a person's private life. I mean even if I worked for Dell, I would prefer an iMac for my personal use and Dell shouldn't be able to tell me what computer I can use outside of work. As far as AT & T, it's the reason I won't get an iPhone and although my office is an all mac office, my employer is not making me change my cell phone service even though he would like me to.

[Hawkeye-X]

5. And the deaf people who AT&T considers their customers

will already exceed the maximum cap by over 10 gb.

And they want me to sign up for it? I'll wait till iPhone goes to Sprint, and I'll purchase it.

[OHdem10]

6. I understand that in Detroit, if you work at one of the auto industries

you had best drive the right car.

[EC]

9. They don't fire you for it

you just can't park in the company parking lot...

[EC]

7. If you're in a "Right to Work" state

they can fire for no reason at all...it's at will..

[X_Digger]

8. If it's part of the employment contract or employee manual, they can fire him, yes.

If, as a condition of employment, he agrees to not have service with a competitor, it's legal to fire him for violating the rules he agreed to.