Employment Law

Employment law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents that address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers, and employees.

There are two broad categories of employment law: first, collective labor law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer, and union; second, individual labor law concerns employees’ rights at work and through the contract for work. Employment standards are social norms (in some cases also technical standards) for the minimum socially acceptable conditions under which employees or contractors will work. Government agencies (such as the former U.S. Employment Standards Administration) enforce employment standards codified by labor law (legislative, regulatory, or judicial).