Labor Law Lawyers
Labor law lawyers can be called the middlemen between the company employees and the employer. The labor lawyers solve most of the union disagreement cases. The labor lawyer defends any case involving unfair means or injustice meted out to the employee. The United States labor laws have certain provisions within which these labor lawyers direct their cases. A labor law lawyer is one who provides counsel and legal aid on labor problems in a company or organization. Unequal bargaining power becomes the main area of conflict between the union and the employers.
Labor Law Attorney
A labor law attorney seeks to resolve the conflicts between the employers and the employees. He provides legal advice and represents cases pertaining to the following:
- Union matters
- Wage employment law
- Retaliatory employment termination
- Sexual harassment
- Sexual orientation harassment or discrimination
- Wrongful termination of employment or demotion
- Family medical leave
- Pregnancy discrimination in employment
- Disability in employment
- Employment discrimination
- Overtime pay claims
The labor law lawyer takes care of all the collective bargaining, grievance, union matters and arbitration proceedings as well as issues such as sexual harassment, employee discipline and termination. The labor law attorney also sorts out the employment contract issues. There are certain bodies that govern labor laws. The National Labor Relations Act [NLRA] regulates the businesses that are involved in interstate commerce. This act has a set of regulations, which both the unions and the employers must adhere to. The United States labor laws are enforced by the U.S Department of Labor. More than 180 federal laws are administered and enforced; thereby bringing under their purview nearly 10 million employers and about 125 million workers.
Your labor law lawyer must have a thorough knowledge of these labor laws so as to secure the best possible amicable solutions, between the employers and the employees. Some of the important laws that govern and protect the labors rights are listed below.
The Fair Labor Standard Act prescribes certain standards for wage regulation and overtime payment. This affects both private and public employment. The Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration enforces it. According to it the over time pay, of one-and one half times the regular rate of pay has to be ensured. In the agricultural sector, it restricts children under 18 from working in certain dangerous environment.
The occupational safety and health act (OSH) monitors the safety and health conditions in most private industries. The companies are given a set of safety regulations to adhere to. There are many workers’ compensation acts within the USA. Each one protects the workers’ compensation benefits of certain business domains. Some of these acts are The Long shore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, The Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act and The Black Lung Benefits Act. Likewise, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) regulates the employers who offer pension or welfare benefit plans for their employees. The Landrum-Griffin Act deals with the relationship between a union and its members.
Then there are various acts protecting the employees, their wages, medical leave and retirement. Choose a labor lawyer who is experienced and who is a good team player. He needs to be compassionate and should posses good inter-personal skills.
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