Within the State of California, employment may be terminated at the will of either party. There are certain key activities to perform and forms to fill out before, during and after a termination of an employee takes place.Labor Code section 232 prohibits an employer from discharging or retaliating against an employee for disclosing his or her wages. To have a wrongful termination claim in California, your status at your workplace must be that of an employee, not an independent contractor. Wrongful termination laws protect the rights of all employees in the state of California, whether they are parttime, fulltime, temporary, or probationary. To pursue a wrongful dismissal claim, you must demonstrate that your employer terminated you in violation of California labor laws or public policy. This toolkit explains the differences between federal and California law as applied to the involuntary termination of individual employees. In California, the relationship of employer and employee is generally "at will. If you are fired or laid off, your employer must pay all wages due to you immediately upon termination (California Labor Code Section 201). Legal news and tips for employees, including meal breaks, rest breaks, overtime and unpaid wages.