Today’s Labor Laws

Labor laws exist to protect worker. Labor laws govern minimum wage and working conditions. Current labor laws protect employees from unfair treatment, overwork, and other problems by regulating the firing, suspending or disciplining of employees by employers. Labor laws stipulate that employees cannot be fired because they report wrong-doing is a company. Most state’s labor laws also allow employees to take a leave of absence for health reasons or because of a new child without loss of job. Labor laws further demand that employers provide vacation time and breaks during the day to employees. Any employer found to be in violation of labor laws is subject to legal action. Labor laws vary by state but almost all also protect employees from discrimination on the basis of the employee's race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, or disability. Our nation’s labor laws are the result of many years of work by activists and groups who sought to create working conditions that were reasonable and fair. Today’s labor laws face a number of challenges. One of the greatest is the current trend towards non-traditional workers. Non-traditional workers such as freelancers, virtual workers, telecommuters, temporary workers, and part-time employees holding multiple jobs are not protected by labor laws in the same ways that full-time traditional employees are. As more and more new jobs are untraditional and as more employers hire non-traditional workers to replace workers that have been downsized, some groups claim that current labor laws become archaic, not reflecting the real needs of today’s workers. Some claim that employers hire non-traditional employees specifically to circumvent the labor laws and the protection they are supposed to offer to all employees. Today’s labor laws have come under fire, especially by some employers. Many

employers claim that current labor laws create a great deal of spending that makes companies lose money. Employers claim that labor laws unreasonably favor employees and do little to protect employers from employees who are unproductive. Under the labor laws of most states, employees cannot be fired without just cause, and employers claim that these labor laws create disputes, since even workers who are fired with cause will sometimes file lawsuits claiming unjust firing. Employers sometimes claim that the labor laws have pushed more companies to out source to overseas countries - where labor laws are different, and some groups would claim, more lax - and to hire non-traditional workers.