Employment & Labor
Employment Law is civil law that sets forth the rules and regulations governing the employer-employee relationship. It may include background checks, hiring and firing concerns, pensions, employee benefits and compensation. Labor Law includes issues such as labor unions, collective bargaining, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour requirements, the minimum wage, OSHA (Occupational Health & Safety Act) and Workers’ Compensation. Federal statutes have also been enacted to protect vulnerable employees in the workplace, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Employee protection includes the prohibition against discrimination based upon race, color, religion, age, disability, gender or national origin. Labor Law traditionally refers to the relationship between employees and employers, trade unions and the government.
Categories
It is demoralizing to apply for a job having great qualifications only to be denied due to an employer’s discriminatory hiring practices. If you suspect that you've been denied an opportunity at work due to your race, religion, gender, age or disability, you may have a case for employment...
This article discusses whether you can be fired for your posts on a blog or social network such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or Linked In.
While you may have your own blog, a Facebook or MySpace page, a Twitter account or a membership on another social network, you are ultimately responsible...
Video surveillance is common in the workplace in order to deter thieves. But many employers also use video surveillance to monitor the activities of employees during work hours. What are your rights as an employee?
Video Surveillance is Used by 50% of Employers
Employees in the retail sector...
This article discusses whether your employer is entitled to take money from your paycheck for work related tools, work uniforms or cash register shortages.
Work Uniforms, Tools and Cash Register Deductions
There are employers who will try to deduct money from employee paychecks for the cost of...
As an employee of a company, a work personnel file may be kept which includes things such as your resume, work reviews, conduct record and more. As an employee, do you have a right to see what is contained with in your personnel file at work? Is there a right of review?
Company Policy, Handbook...
Can you limit the amount of information your former employer provides to a potential employer when asked for a job reference?
A Common Issue Concerning Letters of Recommendation
A frustrated employee is about to start looking for a new job, having just left an old job. However, the former...
This article will discuss whether rights of privacy in the workplace with a brief discussion on employee monitoring.
Understanding Your Right to Privacy at Work
You may feel that your employer has invaded your privacy at work and if so then you may be thinking about suing your employer in a...
When it comes to your work email account, you may not have a right to privacy in your online communications.
Company Email May Be Monitored
Most workplace email and other communications systems used by employees can be monitored by the employer. The AMA (American Management Association)...
Some businesses catering to English speaking people may have requested that their employees not speak Spanish or Chinese while at work. Is this directive legal? Is it workplace discrimination?
Forbidding Non-English Languages Might Constitute Workplace Discrimination
Employer rules that require...
This article explains your legal rights and provides information about what to do when conditions in your workplace pose a risk to health and safety which may result in personal injury.
What is OSHA?
The OSH Act (Occupational Safety and Health Act) establishes your rights when it comes to...
In most states, employers are required to give employees time off from their job for jury duty or to vote in an election.
Introduction: Leave for Jury Duty and Voting
Employees are allowed to take time off from their job to serve on a jury or to vote according to laws in most states in the...
When it comes to filling in a job application or creating a résumé, some people tend to lie or significantly exaggerate their credentials or experiences in the hopes of increasing their chances of being successful. And while this can sometimes land you the job, materially misrepresenting your...
Meal, lunch and rest break rights of an employee are dependent upon the specific law in place where you are employed.
State Law Determines Rest, Meal and Lunch Breaks
Most employers allow their employees to take a break in the middle of their work shift for rest or food and meals. These breaks...
Can your employer include you in a workforce reduction such as a "layoff" while you are on workers’ compensation leave?
You are a legal secretary and have been suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome caused by my repetitive typing at work. Since developing this condition, you have been unable to...
This article will provide a general understanding and overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You will learn about who it covers, what employers are required to adhere to its standards, the lengths that employers must go to in order to accommodate disabled persons and more.
What is the...
Workplace Retaliation is defined as harassment and discrimination by your employer as a result of an investigation prompted by an employee’s complaint at work.
Although many employees know that there are laws in place which protect them from discrimination or harassment on many grounds, there...
The overwhelming majority of states and some localities have enacted their own anti-discrimination laws. They also have set up agencies responsible for enforcing these laws, which are known as Fair Employment Practices Agencies or "FEPAs" as abbreviated.
As would be expected, the laws that...
If you suffer from Hepatitis C, can you be fired from your job because you have this condition?
Questions are often asked about (i) protections concerning voluntary disclosures made to an employer; and (ii) whether missing time at work due to treatment may allow an employer to terminate...
Employers are prohibited from discriminating against any person based upon religious grounds and must make reasonable efforts to accommodate an employee’s practice of their religion.
Workplace Discrimination Based upon Religion is Prohibited
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act under federal...
Federal, state and local laws and procedures are in place to protect people - gay, lesbian and straight - against discrimination in the workplace based upon sexual orientation.
What is Sexual Orientation Discrimination?
Being harassed or treated differently at work because of your actual or...