employment_legal_information

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Employment and the law

Employment is a contract between two parties, one being
the employer and the other being the employee. In a
commercial setting, the employer conceives of a
productive activity, generally with the intention of
creating profits, and the employee contributes labour to
the enterprise, usually in return for payment of wages.

Employment also exists in the public, nonprofit and
household sectors.

In the United States, the "standard" employment contract
is considered to be at-will meaning that the employer and
employee are both free to terminate the employment at
any time and for any cause, or for no cause at all.

To the extent that employment or the economic
equivalent is not universal, unemployment exists.

Employment Law is the branch of the legal profession
that deals with employment related issues.

Employment Law exists in many countries, including the
USA and the United Kingdom.

Employment law in the U.S. is largely governed by the
common law rule of "at will employment", that is, that an
employment relationship can be terminated by either
party at any time for any reason, including a good reason,
a bad reason or no reason at all.

Exceptions to this rule can be found in various federal
employment law statutes, including Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 (and amendments), Title I of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Family and
Medical Leave Act 0f 1993, and numerous state laws with
additional protections. The Fair Labor Standards Act
regulates minimum wages and overtime pay for certain
employees who work more than 40 hours in a work week.

There is no special employment tribunal in the U.S.
Employment law cases are heard in state or federal
courts, depending upon the issue, the size of the
employer (the Civil Rights Act of 1964, for example,
applies only to employers with 15 or more employees),
and the litigation strategy of the plaintiff.