Five Labor Laws That Everyone Should Know About!

Labor lawApril 15, 2021

While most people usually believe that the big corporations that the law favors and the employees can do nothing about the same, they couldn’t be more wrong. Every nation develops a law and order system that favors the working class.

However, there is a lack of awareness in terms of their rights. The labor law and the regulations for employment is what cause people to suffer. If you do not know the basic labor law of the U.S., here’s a brief of the five laws protecting your rights as an employee.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – 1993

FMLA of 1993 is a law that seeks to protect the interests of the employees by ensuring they have medical coverage. According to this law, organizations should provide their employees with unpaid leaves for medical and personal reasons. Besides that, it also requires that the employees have job protection even when they are on leave for the above-said reasons.

It gives the employees the eligibility to make 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year along with numerous health benefits. Some of the popular reasons that these act covers are adoption, pregnancy, foster care placement, family or personal illness, or military leave, to name a few.

National Labor Relations Act – 1935

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 is what you could call as the foundational statute of United States labor law. It aims to protect the employees and employers in the private sector to help them organize into a trade union. You can also engage in collective bargaining and take a collective action like going on a strike.

This law ensures the employees against job loss for forming a trade union. In short, it is an attempt to protect the welfare of the workers, the U.S. economy, and the businesses at the same time! Experts also consider this law to be the foundation for the modern labor law. It has been in practice for 80 years now since President Franklin D. Roosevelt went on to sign it. This was just a day before the law came into practice.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH) -1970

OSH was a law that came into practice in 1970 to ensure that the workplace is safe for all the employees. The bill ensures that the organizations provide the employees with a safe working condition that is free of any hazards.

Also termed as the OSH Act, it was President Richard Nixon who went on to sign this Act to make it a law. In other words, this Act ensures that the employees get healthful working conditions, which include investments in research, education, and training for all the laborers in the organization.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) – 1967

ADEA is an employment Act in the U.S. that has been in practice since 1967. It ensures that there is no discrimination of the employees based on their age.

It protects the interests of anyone who is at least 40 years of age and an employee in the U.S. If there was discrimination at your workplace based on your age, it is this law that would come to your rescue.

This law came into practice to protect employees’ rights. It makes sure there’s no discrimination on account of age. An employee should not miss opportunities for recruitment, promotions, compensation revision, or other privileges.

Norris-LaGuardia Act -1932

Initially, there was a ban on laborers joining unions. They had to pledge and sign contracts. The contract says they would refrain from being part of any strikes, boycotts, and picketing in labor disputes. Most organizations forced them into signing contracts called the yellow-dog contract, which meant they could not sign up for a labor union.

The Norris-LaGuardia Act (1932) strives to preserve the interests of the labor and ensure they have the freedom to be part of labor unions. In short, the Norris-LaGuardia Act is a federal labor law that operates in favor of organized labor.

These are just a few labor laws that protect your interest as an employee. Besides this, there are many more laws too. So, make sure you ask your legal advisor and research to understand how to protect your interests as an employee. And make sure you educate your peers on their rights too! That way, everyone knows their rights.