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Articles 61 - 90 of 102

Full-Text Articles in Labor and Employment Law

Collective Bargaining Or "Collective Begging"?: Reflections On Antistrikebreaker Legislation, Samuel Estreicher Dec 1994

Collective Bargaining Or "Collective Begging"?: Reflections On Antistrikebreaker Legislation, Samuel Estreicher

Michigan Law Review

The strike is a necessary part of collective bargaining. Workers should not ordinarily lose their jobs by pressing their disputes in this manner. But neither should strikes be viewed as a risk-free means of empowering unions to lock employers into uncompetitive contracts.


Salvaging The Opportunity: A Response To Professor Clark, Michael J. Yelnosky Oct 1994

Salvaging The Opportunity: A Response To Professor Clark, Michael J. Yelnosky

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

In this Article, Professor Yelnosky responds to Professor Clark's critique of his previous article, Filling an Enforcement Void: Using Testers to Uncover and Remedy Discrimination in Hiring for Lower-Skilled, Entry-Level Jobs. Professor Yelnosky first clarifies that Professor Clark has adopted several of the points Professor Yelnosky originally made in his earlier article. He then responds to the portions of Professor Clark's article that challenge his prior conclusions. He builds on and defends his previous arguments that: (1) testing is best suited to uncover hiring discrimination for lower-skilled jobs; (2) disincentives to bringing tester lawsuits make it unwise to rely …


The Making Of The Model Employment Termination Act, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1994

The Making Of The Model Employment Termination Act, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

Courts in about 45 states have ameliorated the harshness of employment at will, but the common-law modifications still exhibit serious deficiencies. Legislation is needed. The Model Employment Termination Act proposes a balanced compromise. It would protect most employees against discharge without good cause and it would relieve employers of the risk of devastating financial losses When liability is imposed. Arbitration procedures under the Model Act would also be simpler, faster, and cheaper than existing court proceedings.


Agenda For Canadian Labour Law Reform: A Little Liberal Law, Much More Democratic Socialist Politics, Harry J. Glasbeek Apr 1993

Agenda For Canadian Labour Law Reform: A Little Liberal Law, Much More Democratic Socialist Politics, Harry J. Glasbeek

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Statutory collective bargaining has been the linchpin of Canadian industrial relations since World War I. It yielded benefits to large segments of workers, although its reach and impact were always exaggerated. As the economic entente which underpinned the scheme is unravelling, workers fight desperately to hang onto a system which, in retrospect, looks even better than it did before. But the narrow, male-centred, economic premises of collective bargaining make statutory collective bargaining reform a poor vehicle with which to offset employer attacks on the working classes. An agenda which seeks to link the economic and the political, men and women, …


The Law And Arbitration: The Model Employment Termination Act, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1993

The Law And Arbitration: The Model Employment Termination Act, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

The Model Employment Termination Act(META), which the Uniform Law Commissioners have recommended for adoption by all state legislatures, could provide the most significant legal change of this quarter century in the American workplace. In addition, if the annual case load of grievance arbitrations in this country now stands at somewhere around 65,000, the Act holds the potential for at least quadrupling that figure. Our colleague Jack Stieber has calculated that there are 60 million U.S. employees who are not protected by union contracts or civil service laws, and are thus subject to the employment-at-will doctrine. They can be fired for …


Employment-At-Will—Is The Model Act The Answer?, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1993

Employment-At-Will—Is The Model Act The Answer?, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

Over the last quarter century, the most significant development in the field of labor and employment law has been a nationwide movement toward a revision of the at-will employment doctrine. Courts in over forty-five jurisdictions have used one or more of three main theories to carve out exceptions to the previously allpervasive principle. Unfortunately, though one can applaud the values embodied in these decisions, there are serious deficiencies in the common law modifications. The purpose of this Article is to outline those defects and to demonstrate that the interests of employees and employers alike would be better served by new …


Thailand's Labor And Employment Law: Balancing The Demands Of A Newly Industrializing State, W. Gary Vause, Nikom Chandravithun Jan 1992

Thailand's Labor And Employment Law: Balancing The Demands Of A Newly Industrializing State, W. Gary Vause, Nikom Chandravithun

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article provides a comparative overview of Thailand's labor law, one of the principal considerations for prospective investors. The legal system is analyzed from the perspective of a U.S. investor; to provide a familiar frame of reference, comparisons are made throughout the analysis to labor law in the United States. Observations also are offered on the important extra-legal aspects of employment in Thailand, such as the implications of Thai culture for the employer-employee relationship.


The Model Employment Termination Act: Fairness For Employees And Employers Alike, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1992

The Model Employment Termination Act: Fairness For Employees And Employers Alike, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

The Model Employment Termination Act (META), which state legislatures are expected to consider in the near future aims to prevent the unfair firing of Amer~ ican workers. At the same time, the Act aims to prevent devastating financial blows to American business. For both employees and employers, META offers streamlined dispute resolution procedures that would be simpler, less costly, and less time-consuming than the civil courts. The essence of the proposal is compromise-not as a matter of political expediency but as a practical, balanced accommodation of the competing worthwhile interests of employers and employees. Workers are entitled to be free …


At-Will Employment: An Overview, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1989

At-Will Employment: An Overview, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

The most dramatic development of the last decade has been the rapid judicial expansion of modifications in at-will employment doctrine.


Improving Handicappers' Civil Rights In Michigan--Preventing Discrimination Through Accommodation, Aldebaran Bouse Enloe Jan 1988

Improving Handicappers' Civil Rights In Michigan--Preventing Discrimination Through Accommodation, Aldebaran Bouse Enloe

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I of this Note explains the development of· the current state of handicappers' civil rights law in Michigan, beginning with legislative initiatives and progressing to administrative and judicial decisions. Part II analyzes traditional antidiscrimination theory and suggests how that theory can be adapted to handicappers. By examining hypothetical situations, Part III exposes the disparity between the current state of the law in Michigan and the proposed theoretical analysis and suggests amendments to the MHCRA to reconcile this disparity.


A Seed Germinates: Unjust Discharge Reform Heads Toward Full Flower, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1988

A Seed Germinates: Unjust Discharge Reform Heads Toward Full Flower, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

In this paper, I shall briefly review the nature and limitations of the theories most frequently invoked by the courts in dealing with wrongful dismissal. I shall then examine the major arguments for and against a general overhaul of the doctrine of employment at will. Lastly, I shall discuss some of the particular questions that will have to be addressed in fashioning a statutory solution.


At-Will Employment And The Handsome American: A Case Study In Law And Social Psychology, Theodore J. St. Antoine Nov 1987

At-Will Employment And The Handsome American: A Case Study In Law And Social Psychology, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Other Publications

The past decade has seen a genuine revolution in employment law, as some forty American jurisdictions, in square holdings or strong dictum and on one or more diverse theories, have modified the conventional doctrine whereby employers "may dismiss their employees at will...for good cause, for no cause or even for cause morally wrong." In this paper I shall briefly review the theories most frequently invoked by the courts in dealing with wrongful dismissal and indicate their deficiencies as a permanent solution for the problem. Next, I shall summarize the major arguments for and against the doctrine of employment at will. …


Japanese-Style Worker Participation And United States Labor Law, William S. Rutchow Jan 1987

Japanese-Style Worker Participation And United States Labor Law, William S. Rutchow

Michigan Journal of International Law

This note will evaluate the current legal status of Japanese-style worker participation programs under the NLRA. First, it analyzes relevant sections of the NLRA and their interpretation by the Board and the courts. Second, the note describes various types of Japanese worker participation programs, and suggests how these programs can be legally implemented under current American labor law. Third, the note considers standards the Supreme Court may adopt to test the legality of worker participation programs in the future. Finally, this note recommends that the Supreme Court uphold those participation programs which are freely chosen by employees.


Nonmajority Bargaining Orders: The Only Effective Remedy For Pervasive Employer Unfair Labor Practices During Union Organizing Campaigns, David S. Shillman Jan 1987

Nonmajority Bargaining Orders: The Only Effective Remedy For Pervasive Employer Unfair Labor Practices During Union Organizing Campaigns, David S. Shillman

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Current Board policy forbids issuing a bargaining order in this situation, where there is no objective evidence of majority support for a union, even though the bargaining ·order may be the only effective remedy for extreme employer unfair labor practices. The Board's refusal to issue nonmajority bargaining orders (NMBOs), grounded in its fear of imposing a union on unwilling employees, has left it impotent to remedy the most severe employer unfair labor practices. This Note examines arguments for and against the Board's use of NMBOs and concludes that NMBOs are within the scope of the Board's remedial powers and should …


The Twilight Of Employment At Will? An Update, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1987

The Twilight Of Employment At Will? An Update, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

A 55-year-old white male, who has spent thirty years working his way up to a responsible middle-management position in his company, is asked for his resignation. No reason given. Even though the employee could demonstrate that he still is qualified to perform his duties, the employer's action in dismissing him would be quite unexceptionable under the conventional American common law doctrine of employment at will. The situation could be even more disturbing. If the employment-at-will principle were allowed its full scope, an employee would have no recourse even if he knew he was being discharged because he had refused to …


Remade In Japan, Jennifer Friesen Feb 1985

Remade In Japan, Jennifer Friesen

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Japan's Reshaping of American Labor Law by William B. Gould


A Proposal For Extension Of The Occupational Safety And Health Act To Indian-Owned Businesses On Reservations, Maureen M. Crough Jan 1985

A Proposal For Extension Of The Occupational Safety And Health Act To Indian-Owned Businesses On Reservations, Maureen M. Crough

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note argues that the Act does not apply to Indian businesses because it does not specifically mention them. While sensitive to the desirability of providing certain kinds of federal protections to all Americans, this Note takes the position that the sovereignty of Indian tribes should not be abrogable except by considered and express congressional action. Concluding nonetheless that the workplace protection the Occupational Safety and Health Act provides should be extended to Indians on reservations, the Note proposes amendment of the Act: to extend its protection; to permit tribal enforcement; and to authorize the federal government to help financially …


Reforming The Immigration And Nationality Act: Labor Certification, Adjustment Of Status, The Reach Of Deportation, And Entry By Fraud, Elwin Griffith Jan 1984

Reforming The Immigration And Nationality Act: Labor Certification, Adjustment Of Status, The Reach Of Deportation, And Entry By Fraud, Elwin Griffith

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article will consider some of the controversial sections of the INA and the impact of the pending immigration legislation. Part I considers the labor certification requirement, a prerequisite for third and sixth preference immigrants. This Part concludes that clarification of the division of authority between the Attorney General and the Secretary of Labor, and of the intent of aliens to keep their certified jobs, would be desirable. Part II analyzes the requirements an alien must meet to adjust status to one, of the occupational preferences. The statutory refusal to adjust status of aliens who accept ''unauthorized employment" must be …


Resolving The Problem Of Undocumented Workers In American Society: A Model Guest Worker Statute, Marjorie E. Powell Jan 1984

Resolving The Problem Of Undocumented Workers In American Society: A Model Guest Worker Statute, Marjorie E. Powell

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note argues that a temporary foreign worker program is needed to alleviate the effects of illegal immigration. Part I describes the problems that illegal aliens present and discusses the interests of the groups affected by their presence in the United States. Part II discusses the inability of forced repatriation, amnesty, closing the border, or employer sanctions to satisfy these interests. Part II also discusses the undesirability of ignoring the problem of illegal aliens. Part III explains how a program for admission of temporary foreign workers best meets the interests of domestic employers, domestic and foreign workers, sending countries, and …


The Bildisco Case And The Congressional Response, James J. White Jan 1984

The Bildisco Case And The Congressional Response, James J. White

Articles

Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act authorizes one in bankruptcy to "assume or reject any executory contract ...of the debtor." The most frequent use of the section arises when a lessee goes into Chapter 11 and decides either to reject its real estate lease with its lessor or, if the lease is at a favorable rental rate, to assume it and assign it to another. A less frequent but more controversial use of section 365 is to reject one's collective bargaining agreement with his employees.


Reforming At-Will Employment Law: A Model Statute, Liana Gioia, Per Ramford Jan 1983

Reforming At-Will Employment Law: A Model Statute, Liana Gioia, Per Ramford

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Effective relief for at-will employees can only be achieved through statutory reform. Although specific legislation has been proposed on the federal 4 and state levels, 5 none of these bills have been sufficiently comprehensive to provide optimal relief. Moreover, those commentators who have called for a statutory remedy have failed to explain precisely what the mechanism for dispute resolution should be, or how it should operate. 6 This Note, therefore, proposes a model statute utilizing mediation-arbitration to provide consistent, informal, and economical protection for at-will employees. Part I explores the development of the at-will rule and the deficiencies of current …


A Right Of Fair Dismissal: Enforcing A Statutory Guarantee, Janice R. Bellace Jan 1983

A Right Of Fair Dismissal: Enforcing A Statutory Guarantee, Janice R. Bellace

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Support for the concept that employees should be protected against wrongful dismissal continues to grow in this country. Yet, many advocates of protection have thus far refrained from venturing into the legislative arena. Even though the movement to achieve this protection is still at an early stage, it is not too soon to focus on specific proposals designed to translate ideals into protections. By failing to coalesce behind a single proposal, supporters have retarded the progress of the movement. Without a proposal for specific legislation, supporters lack a rallying point and legislators have nothing concrete to debate. This Article attempts …


Protection Against Unjust Discharge: The Need For A Federal Statute, Jack Stieber, Michael Murray Jan 1983

Protection Against Unjust Discharge: The Need For A Federal Statute, Jack Stieber, Michael Murray

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

We argue that only a federal statute can fully protect American workers from the harsh consequences of the employment-at-will rule. Part I of this Article outlines the nature and scope of the problems caused by the at-will doctrine. Part II surveys a variety of potential solutions to these problems - unionism, voluntary internal grievance mechanisms, existing statutes, the Constitution, and judicially created exceptions to the at-will rule - and finds each an inadequate source of protection. The final Part urges the enactment of a federal statute to protect all American workers from unjust dicharge and sets out several substantive criteria …


Employment-At-Will Doctrine: Providing A Public Policy Exception To Improve Worker Safety, Daniel T. Schibley Jan 1983

Employment-At-Will Doctrine: Providing A Public Policy Exception To Improve Worker Safety, Daniel T. Schibley

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Occupational safety would be greatly enhanced if employees had a viable option of refusing to work under unsafe conditions without risking their jobs. This Note proposes a public policy exception to the employment-at-will doctrine that would give a cause of action to an employee discharged for refusing to work under unsafe conditions. Part I examines the employment-at-will rule and its recognized exceptions. Part II analyzes the inadequacies of existing statutory remedies for a discharged employee who refused to work under unsafe conditions. Finally, Part III proposes an alternative remedy: providing a common-law exception to the employment-at-will rule that will give …


Employment Problems Of The Handicapped: Would Title Vii Remedies Be Appropriate And Effective?, Cornelius J. Peck Jan 1983

Employment Problems Of The Handicapped: Would Title Vii Remedies Be Appropriate And Effective?, Cornelius J. Peck

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article argues that the employment problems of the handicapped are not well-suited for treatment under a statutory discrimination model. Underlying this argument is the belief that the concept of discrimination is not adaptable to the problems of the handicapped, and efforts to apply it will only worsen existing problems. Part I begins by defining the meaning of discrimination, and then explores the similarities and differences between discrimination against the handicapped, and discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and national origin. The purpose of this discussion is to provide a basic framework for understanding claims that the handicapped should be …


Employment Discrimination Against The Overweight, Karol V. Mason Jan 1982

Employment Discrimination Against The Overweight, Karol V. Mason

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I of the Note discusses the existence of employment discrimination against the overweight and the significance of the problem it poses. Part II examines existing employment discrimination legislation to discern what protection is currently available to the overweight. Finally, part III concludes that present laws are inadequate to protect overweight persons from employment discrimination. The Note argues for the passage of legislation designating weight as a classification protected from employment discrimination, and prohibiting the use of weight standards unrelated to job performance. Such legislation is necessary to allow the growing number of overweight Americans the opportunity to compete equally …


The Regulation Of Labor Unions, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1982

The Regulation Of Labor Unions, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

This year completes exactly a half century in the federalization and codification of American labor law. Before that the regulation of both the internal affairs and external relations of labor organizations was left largely to the individual states, usually through the application of common or nonstatutory law by the courts. One major exception was the railroad industry, whose patent importance to interstate commerce made it an acceptable subject for federal legislation like the Railway Labor Act.


You're Fired!, Theodore J. St. Antoine Jan 1982

You're Fired!, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

In 1967 Professor Lawrence Blades of Kansas criticized the iron grip of the contract doctrine of employment at will, and argued that all employees should be legally protected against abusive discharge. The next dozen years saw a remarkable reaction. With rare unanimity, a veritable Who's Who of labor academics and labor arbitrators, Aaron, Blumrosen, Howlett, Peck, Stieber, and Summers, to name only some, stepped forth to embrace Blades' notion, and to refine and elaborate it. But the persons who counted the most, the judges and the legislators, hung back. In the 1960s, vast strides were taken at both the federal …


A Proposal For Apportioning Damages In Fair Representation Suits, Kenneth B. Mcclain Apr 1981

A Proposal For Apportioning Damages In Fair Representation Suits, Kenneth B. Mcclain

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Apportionment of damages in fair representation suits represents one of the most unsettled issues in labor law today. Although the Supreme Court has attempted to establish a single "governing principle" for apportioning damages, lower courts have read this principle as authorizing two divergent standards for apportionments. Part I of this article traces the evolution from the Court's original standard presented in Vaca v. Sipes through two subsequent applications of that standard: the Czosek v. O'Mara standard, which interpreted Vaca as placing the bulk of damages on the employer, and Justice Stewart's standard taken from his concurrence in Hines v. Anchor …


Advance Notice Of Plant Closings: Toward National Legislation, Joseph A. Cipparone Jan 1981

Advance Notice Of Plant Closings: Toward National Legislation, Joseph A. Cipparone

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article advocates the adoption of national legislation requiring advance notice for plants closed or relocated for ostensibly economic reasons. Part I discusses the magnitude of the plant closing problem, focusing upon the costs associated with such closings, the types of assistance available for terminated workers, and the inadequacies of current relief efforts. Parts II and III examine the arguments for and against requiring advance notice of plant closings, and conclude that such a requirement represents sound public policy. Part IV proposes a complete model advance notice statute. The model statute establishes minimum requirements for a viable advance notice system, …