美国劳动法上雇用自由原则的公共政策例外:形成、实践与反思

The Public Policy Exception to the Employment-At-Will Doctrine under American Labor Law:Formation,Practice and Reflection

公共政策例外是美国各州法院司法实务中形成的普通法例外,它构成了对美国传统劳动法上雇用自由原则的限制。该例外的适用,为那些因拒绝从事违反公共政策行为而遭解雇的员工提供了侵权法上的诉因。由于法院在适用该例外时对公共政策的涵义和法源存在不同认识,因而导致司法判决的不统一,对全面保护劳动者权益造成不利影响。为了改变这种状况,应当通过对法律的明文规定探求公共政策的法源,并在此基础上扩大公共政策例外在不当解雇案件中的适用。

Public policy exception is an exception in common law which was created by American state courts in judicial practices, and it constrains the application of the employment-at-will doctrine in traditional labor law. The application of this exception has provided the cause of action in tort to the employees who were discharged for the reasons contravening public policy. Because of the difficulty in defining the concept and sources of public policy, the judicial practices between state courts are inconsistent and the protection provided to employees is incomplete. In order to reverse this tide, we can define the source of public policy in clearly legal provisions and broaden the application of this exception in cases concerning unjust dismissal.