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Labor laws refer to a set of federal and state statutes, administrative rules and common law rulings, regulating the employer-employee relationship. In addition, the laws regulate responsibilities, rights and actions of the employers and employees. Labor laws are also known as employment laws.

The main objective of Labor laws are to create and maintain a balance between the employer and the employee and to stop the one from taking undue advantage of the other.

Labor laws in the United States are enacted both at the federal and state level. The laws may differ from state to state but cannot violate the regulations of the federal Labor laws. Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal statute, regulates most of the day-to-day affairs of employer-employee relations.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA is defined as "A United States law which sets out various labor regulations regarding interstate commerce employment, including minimum wages, requirements for overtime pay and limitations on”. In general, the FLSA is intended to protect workers against certain unfair pay practices or work regulations. The Fair Labor Standards Act is one of the most important laws for employers to understand since it sets out a wide array of regulations for dealing with employees.

Lawsuits relating to workers' and unemployment compensation, employment discrimination, employee benefits, fair wages, workplace safety and standards, plus others are filed under this Act.

How are employees cheated by their employers?

As long as the employer sticks to the agreement between him/her and the employee and the agreement is also drafted in accordance with the law, the relationship works smoothly for both. This, however, does not happen all the time and some employers do take undue advantage of their employees.

Misclassification of the employees is one of the biggest examples illustrating how employers cheat and violate the labor rights of their employees. Under the FLSA, an employee is entitled to overtime pay (hours worked in access of 40 per week) "at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay." This rule, however, does not apply to "exempt" employees. An employer may classify his/her employee as exempt and refuse to pay him/her overtime pay.

Since Labor laws are regulated both by the federal and state governments, an employee may be subjected to both the federal and state wage rate. The FLSA further states that in case of a conflict the higher minimum wage must prevail. An employer may decide to take unfair advantage of his/her less educated and informed employee by paying him/her less than the minimum wage.

What does a Labor Lawyer do?

A labor lawyer is well versed in both the federal and state statutes regulating labor or employment laws. If you or someone you know has been violated of his/her Labor laws ; mistreated at work or treated unfairly, you must hire a labor lawyer to successfully file a lawsuit against your employer. A successful lawsuit or settlement may help you win overdue wages in addition to damages.