The United States Labor Law

Introduction 

The United States Labor Law consists of rights, regulations, and duties for employers, employees, and labor unions. They were enacted with an aim of bringing about the equality of bargaining power between employers and employees. Before the introduction of the laws, employees were working under deplorable conditions. Through time, the Federal and State governments introduced legislation for minimum economic and social rights that protected employees. This paper seeks to analyze some examples of these laws as laid out by the United States Department of Labor. 

Work Hours 

The United States is considered one of the most industrialized countries in the world. Because of this, the citizens work for the longest hours per week and commonly have the least annual leave. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was introduced to cater for this. According to the article, every employee has the right to rest, leisure, reasonable working hours, and holidays with pay. The websites indicate that the Wage and Hour Division is tasked with enforcing this law. Under their jurisdiction is also concerning adherence to overtime pay, federal minimum wage, recordkeeping, and the general requirements of child labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ( U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). 

Workers' Compensation 

Most employment is based on contracts between employers and their employees. However, the labor laws do not allow the developments of contracts that do not observe basic standards of fairness. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 establishes the basis of worker's compensation through what is referred to as the collective bargaining for fair wages. According to the website, the Office of the Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) in the Department of Labor, is in charge of compensations to federal workers on disability aspects such as; medical treatment, wage replacement, vocational rehabilitation, among other benefits. Other compensations mechanisms in this respect are through the health insurance market under the Affordable Care Act. 

Unemployment Insurance 

The jobless citizens are also provided for by the Department of Labor through the Unemployment Insurance. This provision is as a result of the Social Security Act of 1935 that states that everyone has a right to basic pension and to receive insurance if he or she is unemployed. Citizens are, however, eligible only if they are not responsible for their state of unemployment. There are also other conditions that determine various types of eligibilities. For instance, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance holds that in order for one to receive the cover, the person should have lost his or her job because of the direct effect of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States (Dukes, 2018) . 

Minimum Wage 

Minimum wage is a largely controversial issue in the country. Currently, the federal minimum wage stands at a nonexempt rate of $7.25 per hour, since July 24, 2009. The provisions of the federal minimum wage are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Minimum wage is a common subject of debate mainly because States are also allowed to set up a minimum wage for their local employees. Nonetheless, as a protective measure, the Act provides that all employees are entitled to a higher of the two minimum wages: State and Federal ( U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). 

Conclusion 

There are a total of 180 federal laws that are currently being administered and enforced by the Department of Labor. The body is also responsible for guaranteeing the protection of over 125 million workers and 10 million employers. Their role is critical and instrumental, this why more divisions are being created to improve its effectiveness. Even though the current laws are good, there is still room for improvement. For example, there needs to be more harmony between State and Federal laws as this will lead to the enhanced universality of the protection laws. 

References 

Dukes, R. (2018). Introduction to Special Issue on Labor Laws and Labor Markets: New Methodologies.  Social & Legal Studies , 0964663918758514. 

U.S. Department of Labor. (2018, July 16). Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor . Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/majorlaws