Labor Laws

Labor Laws (hereinafter, the Lectio) is the second lesson part of the Labor Regulations lesson that introduces its participants to labor laws and related regulatory compliance.

WorldOpp Pipeline

This lesson belongs to the Introduction to Employment session of the CNM Cyber Orientation. The Orientation is the second stage of the WorldOpp Pipeline.

Content

The predecessor lectio is Workplace Conditions.

Key terms

Labor law (labour law, employment law). A set of government rules that regulate relationships between employees, employers, trade unions and the government. Government agencies usually enforce that set of laws.

• National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act). The cornerstone of the United States federal labor law. The act was the first in history to give most private-sector employees the right to organize into unions, to bargain collectively with employers, to define unfair labor practices by employers, and to create the NLRB.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The labor law that requires employers to pay covered employees at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay for work exceeding a 40-hour week.
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). The labor law that encourages safer workplace conditions in the United States. This law established the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set standards and perform inspections at job sites. In some states, an OSHA-approved state agency helps enforce job safety standards, which must be at least as stringent as federal guidelines.
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Passed by the United States Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, this labor law affords eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year if they decide to stay home in the wake of their child's birth or adoption, or serious personal or family member illness. The law only applies to businesses that employ at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius. To receive FMLA benefits, an employee must have been with the employer for at least one year and worked at least 1,250 hours during the past 12 months.

Script

Labor law is a set of government rules that regulate relationships between employees, employers, trade unions and the government. Government agencies usually enforce that set of laws.

Some of the labor laws that have been enacted at the Federal level in the United States, include National Labor Relations Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, and Family and Medical Leave Act.

The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) is the cornerstone of the federal labor law. In 1935, the act was the first in history to give most private-sector employees the right to organize into unions, to bargain collectively with employers and to define unfair labor practices by employers.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay covered employees at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay for work exceeding a 40-hour week.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) encourages safer workplace conditions in the United States. This law established the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set standards and perform inspections at job sites. In some states, an OSHA-approved state agency helps enforce job safety standards, which must be at least as stringent as federal guidelines. This Act also protected whistleblowers.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) affords eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year if they decide to stay home in the wake of their child's birth or adoption, or serious personal or family member illness. The law only applies to businesses that employ at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius. To receive FMLA benefits, an employee must have been with the employer for at least one year and worked at least 1,250 hours during the past 12 months.

States and municipalities have also enacted a number of labor laws.

Protected Groups is the successor lectio.