Major State and Federal Employment Law Regulations
| Act | Jurisdiction | Basic Provisions |
|---|---|---|
| National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act, 1935) | Most nonmanagerial employees in private industry | Provides right to organize; provides for collective bargaining; requires employers to bargain; requires unions to represent all members equally. |
| Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 1938) | Most nonmanagerial employees in private industry | Establishes a minimum wage; controls hours through premium pay for overtime; controls working hours for children. |
| Equal Pay Act (1963) | Most employers | Prohibits unequal pay for males and females with equal skill, effort, and responsibility working under similar working conditions. |
| Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964, 1991) | Employers with 15 or more employees; employment agencies; unions | Prevents discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; establishes EEOC; provides reinstatment, back pay, and compensatory and punitive damages; permits jury trials. |
| Executive Order 11246 Exectuve Order 11375 Executive Order 11478 |
Federal contractors with large contracts and 50 or more employees | Prevents discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, nation origin, sex, politacl affiliation, martial status, or physical disability; establishes Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC). |
| Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA, 1967) | Employers with more than 20 employees | Prevents discrimination against persons age 40 and over; states compulsory retirement of some employees. |
| Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA, 1970) | Most employers involved in interstate commerce | Ensures, as far as possible, safe and healthy working conditions and the preservation of our human resources. |
| Rehabilitation Act (1973) | Government contractors and federal agencies | Prevents discrimination against persons with physical and mental disabilities. |
| Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA, 1974) | Most employers with pension plans | Protects employeses covered by a pension plan from losses in benefits due to mismanagement, job changes,plant closings, and bankruptcies. |
| Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978) | Employers with 15 or more employees | Identifies pregnancy as a disablity and entitles the woman to the same benefits as any other disablity. |
| Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN, 1988) | Employers with more than 100 emploees | Requires 60 days’ notice of plant or offic closing or substantial layoffs. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) | Employers with 15 or more employees | Prevents discrimination against individuals with disabilities. |
| Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA, 1993) | Employers with 50 or more employees | Allows workers to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for childbirth, adoption, or illness of employee or a close family member; employees who have worked for the employer 12 months or 1,250 hours become elgible. |
| Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA, 1994) | All employers in the public and private sectors, including federal employers | Prevent discrimination against employees who take leave to meet military service obligations. |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA, 1996) | Health plans, health care clearinghouses, health care providers, and employers to the extent that they operate in one or more of those capacities | Allows an employee with existing illness to transfer existing insurance coverage to a new employer. |
| Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) | Most publicly held companies | Imposes strict rules intended to reduce wrongdoing in public by corporations and strenghtens protections for employees who report wrongdoing. |
