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Labor Law
What
You Need to Know
Labor law, sometimes referred
to
as employment law deals with the workplace environment and employee
rights.
Labor-related law typically deal with
employer-union relationships.
Whereas employment laws typically deal
with employer-employee relationships.
But the terms
are often used interchangeably.
For the purpose of this page here, both
labor and employment law topics are interchangeable.
Labor
law is normally (although something incorrectly) understood as the law
that governs a particular kind of relationship...namely the
relationship of (subordinate) employment.
Because
the law is expansive and at times open to interpretation, there are
risks in manipulation and being out of date.
Employment
law should be understood as the set of techniques and practices into
particular kinds of markets, specifically, markets that where two
parties cannot come to a common understanding and conflict resolution.
While
the techniques and practices vary with legal systems, they normally
include
devices for permitting people to:
- special
institutions to encourage informal and formal bargaining
- legally set minimum terms
While
these practices were first developed for intervening into the
employment sector, their value is not limited to such markets and they
may be usefully employed in others.
Typical
situations
potentially calling for application of labor law include
any
market with:
- collective action
problems
- low trust and opportunism that prevent the
formation
of efficient long-term contracts
- inadequate incentives for
investment in human capital
For
general information regarding employment laws enforced by the U.S.
Department of Labor see the publication Employment Law Guide: Laws,
Regulations, and Technical Assistance Services.
The
Employment Law Guide describes the statutes and regulations
administered by the Department of Labor that affect businesses and
workers.
The Guide is designed mainly for those
needing "hands-on" information to develop wage, benefit, safety and
health, and nondiscrimination policies for businesses in general
industry.
Employment law is expansive and covers many
areas. Some of the more common topics they cover
include:
- Americans with Disabilities
- Fair Labor Standards
Act Child Labor Provisions
- Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA)
In
addition to federal law, state laws also apply to employment and in
some cases the law setting the higher standards that must be observed.
For
further information on employee
rights, such as the labor
law section here, please be sure to check out
the following
areas:
Similar to the employee rights, employers also have
responsibilities and rights. To learn more about this, check
out the employer
liability insurance section.
And don't forget to check out the various employment
background screening sections, especially if you are
interested in federal
government jobs.
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