Gray

Michael E. Gray sued his former employer, Cipher Data Products, Inc., and supervisory employees for damages for wrongful ter mination of employment. The court sustained demurrers without leave to amend to his second, third, fourth and sixth causes of action. He seeks a writ of mandate to set aside the court’s rulings. We shall hold the court erred as to the third, fourth and sixth causes of action, grant the writ as to those and otherwise deny relief.

We state the facts as pleaded in fashion most favorable to Gray.

Gray is a computer programmer. Cipher Data needed a programmer to set up a customer’s service order/inventory management function. Cipher told Gray, upon his hiring, his job tenure “would be secure so long as his . . . work was satisfactory” in regard to his responsibility for the installation of the system. Gray was hired at a rate less than that typical for such a job. He was attracted by the challenge and the responsibility implied by reporting to a vice president.

Cipher gave Gray an employee booklet. It describes two types of termination of employment—voluntary and involuntary. Reasons for involuntary termination are inadequate performance, cause,…