Labor Unions

1
Labor Unions
2
Labor Unions

• An organization of wage earners formed to serve
  the members' interests with respect to wages,
  benefits, and working conditions
• Includes workers in numerous industries (recent
  growth among service sector public sector
  workers)
• Represent their members if management attempts to
  violate contract provisions

3
National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) 1935

• Protects the rights of most workers in the
  private sector to
• Organize labor unions
• Engage in collective bargaining
• Take part in strikes and other forms of planned
  activity in support of their demands

4
Collective Bargaining

• Negotiation between organized workers and their
  employer(s) to determine wages, hours, rules, and
  working conditions

5
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

• Established minimum wage, overtime pay,
  recordkeeping, and child labor standards
• Minimum wage of not less than 5.15 an hour
• Overtime pay at a rate of not less than 1½ times
  their regular rates of pay is required after 40
  hours of work in a work week
• Compensatory time
• Time off that is granted to a worker as
  compensation for working overtime

6
Minimum Wage Laws in the U.S.

• Historical Changes in Basic Minimum Wages
• http//www.dol.gov/esa/programs/whd/state/MWHistor
  yTable.pdf
• Current Minimum Wages
• http//www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

7
Employee Rights

• Breaks Meal Periods
• Federal law does not require lunch or coffee
  breaks
• However, when employers do offer short breaks
  (about 5 to 20 minutes), Federal law considers
  the breaks work-time that must be paid
• http//www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm
• http//www.dol.gov/esa/programs/whd/state/rest.htm
  
• Work Hours
• http//www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/screen6.asp

8
Employee Rights (cont.)

• Unemployment Insurance
• Unemployment benefits to eligible workers who
  become unemployed through no fault of their own,
  and meet certain other eligibility requirements
  of State law