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Technically, Federal labor laws deal with employer-union relationships and Federal employment laws deal with employer-employee relationships.

But the terms are often used interchangeably. This section includes research resources for both, even though it more often refers to Federal labor laws .

When researching whether or not your employer committed a wrongdoing under a Federal labor law, it's important to know that employment is at will in virtually all states.

It's also important to know that your employee rights are protected only under specific, corresponding state or Federal labor laws, regulations or constitutional provisions, or by sound morality or public policy .

For example, if your boss is a jerk who generally treats you poorly on the job, your bad boss is not necessarily violating a labor law, however unfair or unethical his or her behavior might be. That's because there is no bad-boss Federal labor law per se. Additionally, your bad boss has employee rights just as you do, up to and including generally acting like a jerk on the job.

But if your bad boss violates a specific Federal labor law while acting like a jerk, such as refusing to pay you the overtime pay to which you are legally entitled under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), then you'll likely have legal recourse through a government agency, an employment lawyer or both. Discovering which Federal labor law your bad boss or employer might have violated when disrespecting your employee rights and where to turn for relief, are what the links below are all about.

Federal labor law topics to which the links below lead include sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, overtime pay, minimum wage, background checks, drug testing in the workplace, COBRA insurance, illegal interview questions, separation, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, and sick leave, vacation and severance pay to name only a few.

See also State Labor Law and Whistleblower Laws to research relevant laws. For a large variety of employee rights and labor law topics all in one place, visit EmployeeIssues.com. a partner site of TechnicalJobsearch.com. Links to EmployeeIssues.com are also included below.

Attorney Referral and Labor Law Facts

Read free facts in the Legal Center Law Library on a variety of topics, including employee rights under employment and labor laws. Employment and labor law topics include, but are not limited to, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, drug testing, employment contracts, injury on the job, unions, pay and benefits. Also includes tips for hiring and working with an attorney. If you would like qualified, prescreened attorneys to evaluate your case and respond, you may post it confidentially and for free, with no obligation. From LegalMatch, a free attorney referral service.

BusinessLaw.gov, an official government Web site, offers resources for starting a small business while complying with Federal and state employment and labor laws, and other business-related laws.

Search for laws, court cases, judicial decisions and related info posted on a variety of court and court-related Web sites, courtesy of the National Center for State Courts.