Free Essays on Employment At-Will

Employment at Will The industrial revolution changed the status of workers and employment soon became a purely economic relationship. By 1877, Horace G. Wood wrote an authoritative treatise on the law of master and servant and expressed the American rule as follows: "with us the rule is inflexible, that a general or indefinite hiring is prima facie hiring at-will...". Under the at-will-employment rule, an employee was free to terminate his or her employment relationship at any time for any reason and the employer was likewise permitted to terminate the employee with no reason. This employment-at-will rule remained the law until the rule began to be eroded through statutory exceptions. The employment-at-will doctrine is not absolute. As soon as it was developed, the courts recognized that a strict employment at-will doctrine could be unfair and contrary to policies established by the legislature. While many employee and employers know that states recognize the employment at-will doctrine, they may not be aware that this doctrine is not a Federal employment law, it is a common law. Since the first announcing of the at-will rule the courts have established several common law and statutory exceptions to at will employment. In his book, Heneman explains: Common law is court-made law based upon case by case decisions which over an extended period of time sets a precedence in determining permissible and impermissible actions. Every state develops and administers its own common law. Employment at-will is treated at the state level. However, there are Federal laws that dictate legal exceptions to employment at will. Many legislatures have gradually entered into protection statue areas and began chipping away at the employment at-will doctrine. Some of the many more common exceptions protected by the Federal Law include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, American Disabilities Act. Alone, these a... Free Essays on Employment At-Will Free Essays on Employment At-Will Employment at Will The industrial revolution changed the status of workers and employment soon became a purely economic relationship. By 1877, Horace G. Wood wrote an authoritative treatise on the law of master and servant and expressed the American rule as follows: "with us the rule is inflexible, that a general or indefinite hiring is prima facie hiring at-will...". Under the at-will-employment rule, an employee was free to terminate his or her employment relationship at any time for any reason and the employer was likewise permitted to terminate the employee with no reason. This employment-at-will rule remained the law until the rule began to be eroded through statutory exceptions. The employment-at-will doctrine is not absolute. As soon as it was developed, the courts recognized that a strict employment at-will doctrine could be unfair and contrary to policies established by the legislature. While many employee and employers know that states recognize the employment at-will doctrine, they may not be aware that this doctrine is not a Federal employment law, it is a common law. Since the first announcing of the at-will rule the courts have established several common law and statutory exceptions to at will employment. In his book, Heneman explains: Common law is court-made law based upon case by case decisions which over an extended period of time sets a precedence in determining permissible and impermissible actions. Every state develops and administers its own common law. Employment at-will is treated at the state level. However, there are Federal laws that dictate legal exceptions to employment at will. Many legislatures have gradually entered into protection statue areas and began chipping away at the employment at-will doctrine. Some of the many more common exceptions protected by the Federal Law include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, American Disabilities Act. Alone, these a...

Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Burgundy

Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Burgundy ​Known for:  signing the Great Privilege and, by her marriage, bringing her dominions under Habsburg control Dates:  February 13, 1457 - March 27, 1482 About Mary of Burgundy The only child of Charles the Bold of Burgundy and Isabella of Bourbon, Mary of Burgundy became ruler of his lands after her fathers death in 1477. Louis XI of France attempted to force her to marry the Dauphin Charles, thus bringing under French control her lands, including the Netherlands, Franche-Comte, Artois, and Picardy (the Low Countries). Mary, however, did not want to marry Charles, who was 13 years younger than she was. In order to win support for her refusal among her own people, she signed the Great Privilege which returned significant control and rights to localities in the Netherlands. This agreement required the approval of the States to raise taxes, declare war or make peace. She signed this agreement on February 10, 1477. Mary of Burgundy had many other suitors, including Duke Clarence of England. Mary chose Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, of the Habsburg  family, who later became emperor Maximilian I. They married on August 18, 1477. As a result, her lands became part of the Habsburg empire. Mary and Maximilian had three children. Mary of Burgundy died in a fall from a horse on March 27, 1482. Their son Philip, later called Philip the Handsome, was held as virtually a prisoner until Maximilian freed him in 1492. Artois and Franche-Comte became his to rule; Burgundy and Picardy returned to French control. Philip, called Philip the Handsome, married Joanna, sometimes called Juana the Mad, heiress to Castile and Aragon, and thus Spain also joined the Habsburg empire. The daughter of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian was Margaret of Austria, who served as governor of the Netherlands after her mothers death and before her nephew (the future Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) was old enough to rule. A painter is known as the  Master of Mary of Burgundy  for an illuminated Book of Hours he created for Mary of Burgundy. Mary of Burgundy Facts Title:  Duchess of Burgundy Father:  Charles the Bold of Burgundy, son of Philip the Good of Burgundy and Isabella of Portugal. Mother:  Isabella of Bourbon (Isabelle de Bourbon), daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy. Family Connections:  Marys father and mother were first cousins: Agnes of Burgundy, her maternal grandmother, and Philip the Good, her paternal grandfather, were both children of Margaret of Bavaria and her husband John the Fearless of Burgundy. Marys great-grandfather John the Fearless of Bavaria was a grandson of John II of France and Bonne of Bohemia; so was another great-grandmother, her mothers paternal grandmother Marie of Auvergne. Also known as:  Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; Marie Places: Netherlands, Habsburg Empire, Hapsburg Empire, Low Countries, Austria.