You can’t possibly know every single employment law out there. But if you can read about the six outlined below, you should have a good sense of what your rights are as an employee in the workplace.
- Right to Minimum Wage and Overtime
- Fair Labor Standards Act – This law establishes a federal minimum wage, time and a half for overtime pay, recordkeeping requirements and other wage-payment related laws. This law requires employers to pay most employees overtime wages, and maintain certain wage payment records.
- Right to Medical Leave
- Family & Medical Leave – The FMLA protects certain employees with up to twelve weeks of unpaid job protection for leave. It also requires the employer to maintain the employee’s medical benefits. Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of job protection under this law. Leave can be for the employee or a family member.
- No Discrimination on the Basis of: Disability, Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National Origin, or Age
- Americans With Disabilities Act – This law prohibits discrimination on the basis of a mental or physical disability, in decisions related to hiring, firing, pay, promotion and all other aspects of employment. The ADA also requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s disability where practicable.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act – Title VII was the first significant federal non-discrimination law, which prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin. This law applies to all employers with 15 or more employees and the definition of “sex” has been interpreted to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act – The ADEA prohibits age-based discrimination against employees (and job applicants), in particular for those over 40 years of age. This includes hiring, firing, promotions, discipline, etc.
- Equal Pay Regardless of Gender
- Equal Pay Act – The EPA prohibits paying women lower wages in the workplace for a substantially similar job to that of a man. The job need not be identical, and it is the content of the work (not titles, etc.) which determines whether the work is substantially similar.