Eligibility

• All employees in the United States are protected by federal labor laws. The only exceptions are people who work as independent contractors. These workers, however, have more control over their work environments and their pay, hours and other facets of employment. All hourly and salaried workers fall under basic regulations, although the exact nature of the regulations varies based on the employee type. Employers can require salaried employees to work more than 40 hours per week without additional compensation, whereas the same cannot be required of hourly employees.
  
  

Requirements

• Almost all businesses are required to display some posters in the area where employees sign in or in a highly visible area of the business. The most basic of these posters covers the federal minimum wage requirements and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Others are not requirements for all places of employment but depend on a variety of factors. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is not required for all businesses because only certain businesses are subject to this regulation.
  
  

Disadvantages

• Some of the laws people believe are set in stone are not necessarily so. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) provides for "reasonable" accommodation with regard to breaks. The standard accommodation is a 15-minute break for every 4 hours of employment, but that standard is not a law. In addition, companies do not have to pay for that time, but instead can require employees to clock out to take a break. Many labor laws are vague, meaning you need to study the actual regulation before filing a complaint.
  
  

Advantages

• Federal laws require meal provisions for employees.
  
  Labor laws fall under federal jurisdiction, and the actual laws stem from a variety of laws passed to protect workers. These laws, such as those regulating the work week and child labor requirements, are in place to protect workers from exploitation by employers. These laws provide a framework for employee-employer relationships that allow for better working relationships.
  
  

Regulations

• The Wagner Act controls the rights of employees to form unions and controls the basics of union actions within the workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act forbids discriminating against employees because of federally protected statuses, such as sex, religion, age, handicap and race or ethnicity. OSHA is charged with monitoring and regulating safety precautions in the workplace. OSHA controls regulations such as the number of exits a company must have and the type of protective gear employees must wear.