Employment Law - An Overview

Employment law is a broad area encompassing all areas of the employer/employee relationship except the negotiation process covered by labor law and collective bargaining.

Employment and Labor Law

The area of labor law is governed by both federal law, state law and judicial decisions. It is also governed by regulations and decisions of administrative agencies. States are preempted from interfering with federal statutory law or with the guidelines promulgated by agencies established under federal law or by the U.S. Constitution.

Employee Rights

As an employee, you have many rights, including the right not to be discriminated against or harassed, the right to be paid at least the minimum wage, as well as any overtime, the right to a safe workplace, the right to take leave to care for your or a family member's illness, birth, or adoption, and the right to some privacy in personal matters.

Labor - An Overview

The goal of labor laws is to equalize the bargaining power between employers and employees. The laws primarily deal with the relationship between employers and unions. Labor laws grant employees the right to unionize and allows employers and employees to engage in certain activities (e.g. strikes, picketing, seeking injunctions, lockouts) so as to have their demands fulfilled.