What are the major employment laws?

There are many federal and state employment laws. Federal laws controlling a particular type of employer conduct set minimum standards for conduct. States may pass laws that place additional requirements on employers, so long as these laws do not conflict with or hinder the execution of federal laws. That is, if not in conflict, the state laws may be more restrictive upon employer practices than similar federal statutes.

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The major federal laws controlling the employer-employee relationship are as follows:

• Internal Revenue Code 
• Fair Labor Standards Act 
• Family Medical Leave Act 
• Worker Readjustment and Retraining Act 
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act 
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act 
• Workers Compensation Act 
• Occupational Safety and Health Act 
• Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
• Affordable Care Act Immigration Reform and Control Act 
• State Laws

The Department of Labor may also require employers that meet certain criteria to prominently display information about employment laws and employee rights.

Note: Laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace are discussed in detail in a separate topic section.

Related Topics

• Employment Law (Intro)
• Who is an employee under the employment law?
• Subcontracting
• What characterizes the employer-employee, At-Will relationship?
• What are the major employment laws?
• What are the taxation requirements imposed upon employers?
• What is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)?
• Exempt Employee 
• NonExempt Employees
• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
• Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (WARN Act)?
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)?
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)?
• Active Participant Status
• Defined Benefit Plan
• Pension Plan
• Accumulated Benefit Obligation
• Defined Contribution Plan
• Cash Balance Plan
• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
• Blackout Period
• Benefit Allocation Method
• Multinational Pooling
• DB(k) Plan Definition
• Employee Contribution Plan
• Unit Benefit Plan
• Top Hat Plan
• Non-Discrimination Rule
• Alternative Minimum Cost Method
• Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)?
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Workers Compensation Laws?
• Workers Compensation Coverage A Definition
• Workers Compensation Coverage B Definition
• Federal Unemployment Tax Act
• State Unemployment Tax Act
• Voluntary Termination
• Employment Verification Laws?
• Form I-9
• Workplace Privacy Laws?
• Background Checks
• Davis-Bacon Act
• Loudermill Rights
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit
• Work for Hire Agreement (Independent Contractor Agreement)
• Engagement Letter Definition
• Non-Compete Agreement
• Non-Solicitation Clause
• Wrongful Termination Claim
  
• What are labor laws?
• Organized Labor
• Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Labor Union
• What are the major labor laws?
• Department of Labor
• What is the National Labor Relations Act?
• Unfair Labor Practice
• Right to Work Laws
• Labor Management Relations Act
• Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act