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 EmployableU Foundation. The Foundation is the second stage of the WorldOpp Pipeline.

Content

The predecessor lectio is Workplace Conditions.

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 labor laws that have been enacted at the Federal level in the United States, include the 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) gave most private-sector employees the right to organize into unions, to bargain collectively with employers and to define unfair labor practices by employers.

The 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.

The Occupational Safety and Health 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.

The 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.

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

Key terms

Labor law (employment law), National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Closing

Would you be interested in more information about labor laws? --Yes/No/Let's move on for now

Protected Groups is the successor lectio.