The United States Department of Labor administers and enforces laws that apply to all workers and employers. The reason for such laws is to eliminate any form of discrimination and promote economic growth in the country. Numerous national labor laws vary depending on the specific areas they address. It is upon both the workers and employers to understand the scope of such laws. For the workers, they need to understand their rights and obligating underscored in each of the main labor laws to report matters that contradict the requirements of such codes. For the employers, they have to understand the needs of such codes because failure to adhere to them normally result in penalties. The labor laws have similarities and differences as shall be discussed in this article. The three labor laws under comparison are wages and hour laws, occupation and health laws, employee's benefits, and security laws.
Differences
One of the significant labor laws in the United States is wages and hours under the regulation of the Fair Labor Slandered Act (FLSA). The wage and hour division administers and regulates the law, and the main factor of consideration is a fair payment. The hours and wage laws demand employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay. The same laws restrict the working hours for the children under the age of sixteen years in the country, mostly for non-agricultural production. For other types of work, the laws restrict those people under the age of eighteen for a specific task in the country. The wage and hours laws under the FLSA also enforce the labor standards and provision for the immigrants in the country. The immigrants and the National Act regulate aliens who have been proved to work in the country. Perry, Thomason & Bernhardt (2016) discuss that the regulation under this FLSA laws thus includes the minimum wage, the overtime payments, the hours worked, record keeping, and child labor.
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The second most important national labor law is the workplace safety and health under the regulation of the Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) Act. The law is administered by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The body regulates both private and public companies and champion for the specific health standards that such companies must adopt with a view to creates a healthy environment for the workers. The employers under OSHA must comply with all requirements, which include ensuring that the workplaces are free from hazards. OSHA enforces the Act through workplace inspections and investigations to ascertain that all the companies are implementing the necessary health programs.
The third labor law is the employee benefits and security under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The law regulates employers who give pensionable jobs and welfare benefits for the workers. The law defines critical factors on these areas such as "imposition of the wide range of fiduciary, disclosure and reporting requirements on fiduciaries of pension and welfare benefit plans" ( Visscher& Abrams, 2019). It also looks into matters of insurance, mostly where the benefits of retirement are involved. Further, the law also regulates healthcare provisions under the Comprehensive Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA).
Similarities
The three labor laws are similar in many ways. First, they all have one primary objective, which is to protect employees from discrimination. The wages and hour laws protect the employees from discrimination regarding payments which are incoherent with work done. Health and safety laws look into matters of health and ensure that employees provide a healthy environment for the workers. Lastly, employees’ benefits and security laws ensure that employers care for the employees' wellbeing during the period of work and after retiring. Another similarity is that all these laws are under the regulatory bodies committed to ensuring that in case of any violation, the employers are held responsible and face charges as per the regulation stipulated under each code.
Benefits
The labor laws are beneficial for both the employers and the employees. For the employees, the laws ensure that they are protected. They cannot face any discrimination with regards to payments as they are under the protection of the Fair Labor Slandered Act (FLSA). Further, the employers have rights to ensure that they work in an environment that is less risky to their health. Besides, the employees are also safe after retirement because the laws under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ensure that they have financial security after leaving the company for their retirement. Generally, the laws also act as the voice of the employees in that they grant employees the freedom to be hard, are for and also be valued despite their status as employees. Employers also build a reputation by adhering to these laws. In this sense, adhering to labor laws sometimes act as a competitive factor to get the top talented employees in the market ( Cranor& Goldin, 2018). Adhering to the labor laws also minimizes the employers' chances of being sued by the employees for neglecting their rights.
In conclusion, the three labor laws discussed are critical not only to the employees but also to the employers. In this case, they need to be understood based on the specific areas they cover since they vary in scope and context. Understanding these laws is beneficial as they act as the voice of the employees, and also create a competitive opportunity for the employers.
References
Cranor, T., & Goldin, J. (2018). Does Informing Employees About Tax Benefits Increase Take-Up?: Evidence From EITC Notification Laws. Evidence From EITC Notification Laws (December 22, 2018) .
Perry, I., Thomason, S., & Bernhardt, A. (2016).Data and Methods for Estimating the Impact of Proposed Local Minimum Wage Laws. Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley .
Visscher, G., & Abrams, A. L. (2019).OSHRC DECISION Casts Doubt on Hundreds of OSHA Standards. Professional Safety , 64 (2), 48-49.
