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

by Elizabeth Chika Tippett

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520382329
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	11/11/2025
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

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

Table of Contents

Contents
 
Introduction
 
Part I. The Right to Control
1. Physical Control
2. Termination
3. Pay
4. Time Management
 
Part II. The Right to Govern
5. Unions
6. Equal Opportunity
7. Human Resources
 
Part III. The Duty of Support
8. Benefits
9. Left Behind
10. Policy Interventions
 
Conclusion
Epilogue
 
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Figure Credits and Sources
Index