DISCHARGE FOR CAUSE - HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED-STATES

This article reviews the literature on discharge for cause in the Unit ed States in the twentieth century. The principal findings are that (1 ) discharge rates tend to be lower during periods of economic recessio n and higher during years of prosperity; (2) discharge rates have not varied significantly as between union and nonunion employers; (3) disc harge rates are inversely related to seniority and age of employees; a nd (4) workers who are discharged for cause have more difficulty findi ng employment than workers who have been laid off or who have left the ir jobs voluntarily. It is estimated that approximately 3 million priv ate sector at-will employees are discharged each year. Using what they consider to be reasonable assumptions, the authors estimate that at l east 150,000 would be found to have been discharged without just cause if they had recourse to arbitration under the same standards as union ized employees.