Green v. Ralee Engineering Company

Facts of The Case
Richard Green went to work in 1968 as a quality control inspector for Ralee Engineering Company, which manufactures fuselage and wing components for military and civilian aircraft. Some of Ralee’s clients were Boeing and Northrop. Mr. Green went to work as an at-will employee, and, as such could be let go at any time for any reason not otherwise prohibited by law. In 1990, after being with the company for twenty-two years, Mr. Green noticed Ralee was beginning to ship parts that had failed inspection. Over the next two years he frequently objected about this practice to supervisory and management personnel. He even went so far as to bring his concerns to the general manager and the company president. His complaints and protests fell on deaf ears. The company continued to ship parts to Boeing that had failed inspection.
In March 1991, Ralee decided to shut down its night shift, and let Mr. Green go after twenty-three years of employment. During the lay-of...