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

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Univ of California Press, Nov 11, 2025 - Law - 292 pages

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.

 

Contents

Introduction
1
Physical Control
13
Termination
27
Pay
38
Time Management
52
Unions
69
Equal Opportunity
83
Human Resources
101
Benefits
117
Left Behind
133
Policy Interventions
145
Conclusion
159
Bibliography
247
Figure Credits and Sources
275
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About the author (2025)

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

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