Summaries of other current articles and annotations of recent pamphlets and books
Abstract
In BriefSummaries of other current articles and annotations of recent pamphlets and books SAGE Publications, Inc.1981DOI: 10.1177/088636878101300110 Megan E. Keller General TERMINATION AT WILL - THE EMPLOYER'S RIGHT TO FIRE. By Richard G. Vernon and Peter S. Gray. Employee Relations Law Journal, Summer 1980. By hoary common law tradition, employers have had the right to fire employees for any reason and employees have had the converse right to quit whenever they wish. But the employer's right to discharge is no longer absolute. Two Washington attorneys, Richard G. Vernon and Peter S. Gray, have examined the rule of "termination at will," and some of its newer exceptions in this article. In many instances, restrictions on the employer's right to fire an employee have resulted from legislation. Examples are unlawful dismissals because of race, religion, national origin, age, or contravention of collective bargaining agreements. Indeed, a multitude of federal laws now limit the once absolute rights of employers in matters of discharge. The Supreme Court recently held that an employer who let a worker go for refusal to perform a task he believed was life-threatening was in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The courts also have added