Do employees have contracts with their employers?
In one sense, employment relationships all have certain aspects of a traditional contract relationship. If an employer verbally agrees to hire an employee at a specific rate and then refuses to pay it after the employee finishes the work, the employee can sue the employer under various contract or equitable theories. A contract agreed upon by both parties can be modified only by mutual consent. If employment agreements are treated as commercial contractual relationships, employers are treated as commercial contractual relationships; employers are bound to obtain the consent of the employee before ay changes in the relationship occur. Normally this is not the case. In fact, under Minnesotas presumption of at-will employment, employers can unilaterally terminate employment and change the terms and conditions of the working relationship on a prospective basis-including wages, benefits, and compensation-without liability for beach of contract. Retroactive modification; however, would typic
