The Master-Servant Doctrine: How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace - Hardcover

by Elizabeth Chika Tippett (Author)

The field of employment law used to be called "master-servant law." Even if this term has fallen out of favor, a central truth has not changed: modern employment law still draws on centuries-old ideas about the rights and obligations of workers. In The Master-Servant Doctrine, Elizabeth Chika Tippett combines historical context with contemporary case studies and interviews to reveal how modern law and management practices are steeped in three core master-servant principles: the right to control, the right to govern, and the duty of support. With each chapter tackling a different aspect of the workplace--including pay, time management, firing, and benefits--this startling and original story of employment law offers fresh insights for legal scholars, historians, attorneys, advocates, and anyone who's ever worked a terrible job.

Back Jacket

In this important and compelling account, Elizabeth Chika Tippett demonstrates that the basic fundamentals--and, indeed, the crucial details--of relationships between employees and employers rest on concepts embedded in the master-servant system of slavery. There is so much here, so carefully and clearly presented, that clarifies persistent injustice.--Nell Irvin Painter, New York Times-bestselling author of The History of White People

Author Biography

Elizabeth Chika Tippett is Professor of Law at the University of Oregon School of Law.