''Torosyan v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'', 662 A2d 89 (1995) is a
US labor law
United States labor law sets the rights and duties for employees, labor unions, and employers in the US. Labor law's basic aim is to remedy the " inequality of bargaining power" between employees and employers, especially employers "organized in ...
case, concerning the
contract of employment
An employment contract or contract of employment is a kind of contract used in labour law to attribute rights and responsibilities between parties to a bargain.
The contract is between an "employee" and an "employer". It has arisen out of the old m ...
in state law for
labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, the ...
. It represents the approach in
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
.
Facts
Anushavan Torosyan claimed that he was unjustly terminated, because he was promised in an old staff handbook that he could be dismissed for good cause only. This was left out of the new handbook, but Torosyan had not agreed to any change.
Judgment
The Supreme Court of Connecticut held the original promise was one an employee could rely upon. An employer could not unilaterally convert an employee’s status to an at-will relation simply by issuing a second handbook. It would be improper to infer the employee consented to the new terms, simply because he or she wanted to continue work. The only alternative was to resign, giving up the
job security
Job security is the probability that an individual will keep their job; a job with a high level of security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of losing it. Many factors threaten job security: globalization, outsourcing ...
the employer originally promised.
See also
References
{{reflist, 2
United States labor case law
1995 in Connecticut
1995 in United States case law
1995 in labor relations