Do I have legal recourse against an employer that didn't fire me, but involuntarily transferred me?

In July, I was working for AECOM at Denver International Airport and had been with them for approximately three and a half years. I was hired in March of 2006 as an inspector for AECOM and assigned to inspect on the highways servicing DIA. Within 2 months, they asked if I would lead the concrete inspection on a new de-ice pad on the airfield. I agreed and spent the next four months doing that. In September of 2006, I was moved off the airfield and put in a facilities inspector position. I was thrilled, because this was a 40 hour a week position. The highway position I originally filled was also 40/week, but the airfield position that I agreed to fill for them was 60+ hours a week. I filled the facilities inspector position for over three years and never had any indication that I was not performing to the companies satisfaction. I had performance evaluations every year and all were very positive. Over the three years that I filled this position, my life changed and my wife began working full time and my daughter began school. Everything was perfect. In July, 2009, I began to hear talk that the company was having trouble finding someone qualified to do inspection on the airfield and that they were going to tag me as the guy to do the job. When I heard the rumors, I went to my manager and he went to the VP in charge and he confirmed that that was the plan. I went to him and informed him that I had no desire to go back to the airfield and that I could not work the 60+ hours a week and still fulfill my obligation to my family. I, then, returned to my office and continued on with my duties. The next day I came to work and there was someone milling around outside my office. I asked if I could help him and he informed me that he was a new hire for one of our subcontractors and that this was his office. I went to my manager and he met with the VP in charge to see what was going on. He came back to my office and told me to pack up my things and move them to an empty trailer, where I should wait to find out what was going on. I went to the VP and asked what I had done wrong to make them hire someone from a subcontractor to take my job and my office. He told me that I did nothing wrong, he just decided to do it, on his own. Since he was the highest ranking AECOM employee at DIA, I didn't know where to go next. I decided to go to HR at AECOM, because I, simply, wanted to find out why this had been done. It made no sense, unless money was involved. They found nothing illegal and dismissed it by saying it was handled wrong, but I would not get my position back. I reported to my new position, but immediately the work schedule did not allow me to pick up my daughter from daycare and I had to quit. It is nearly impossible to find a job in this economy and my whole life is unravelling. I blame this VP for ruining my life and now I'm afraid that they are going to try to contest my unemployment insurance claim. What can I do???

0 answers  |  asked Dec 3, 2009 09:07 AM [EST]  |  applies to Colorado