What Is Employment Law?

Employment law includes a wide variety of issues ranging from all areas of the employers and employee relationship. It includes the laws and rules regulating relationships between employees and employers. The law governing employment relations includes federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions. These laws dictate interactions such as when an employer can hire employees, when the employees can work, how the employer must pay the employee, and what are the minimum requirements for working conditions.

Major areas of employment law include unemployment compensation, pensions, employment discrimination, workers’ compensation, wrongful discharge of an employee, Family and Medical Leave Act, minimum wage, overtime, and unsafe workplace complaints.

Major employment laws in the United States include:

• The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which sets the federal minimum wage and overtime rates.
• Family and Medical Leave Act of 1963, which requires large employers to offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave.
• The Clayton Act of 1914, the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, and the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 all regulate collective bargaining.
• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which protects employees from workplace hazards.
• Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or origin.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which prevents discrimination of employees based on age.

Employers, employees, and the government all need employment lawyers to help manage relations and ensure that proper regulations are followed.