J. Stieber et R. Rodgers, DISCHARGE FOR CAUSE - HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED-STATES, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 536, 1994, pp. 70-78
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Political Science","Social, Sciences, Interdisciplinary
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.