U.S. Labour laws you need to know!
Karma Global, besides its foray into specialized areas like staffing, on-boarding, payroll, curbing regulatory risk, auditing and abiding by all labour law related compliance, has joined hands with topmost Indian legal firm in order to further strengthen its enduring relationships with its over 500+ clients with cost effective and time bound solutions.
U.S. Labour laws you need to know!
Below are seven federal labour laws you need to ensure your business is complying with.
- FMLA and employee leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act is a commonly misunderstood employment law. Under this law, private-sector employers with 50 or more employees must grant eligible workers up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons over a 12-month period.
- NLRA’s role with nonunionized employers
Even if your company doesn’t employ unionized workers, you’re still subject to the requirements of the National Labour Relations Act. This law applies to most private employers and grants employees the right to unionize, collectively bargain and engage in concerted activity for their “mutual aid or protection” — commonly known as Section 7 rights. These rights include permission to discuss the terms and conditions of employment, such as wages.
- OFCCP and affirmative action requirements
In 2013, the Department of Labour’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs issued two rules to strengthen employment discrimination protections for veterans and individuals with disabilities: The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The affirmative action requirements for covered federal contractors and subcontractors went into effect in 2014 and include measurable hiring targets as well as recordkeeping and data-tracking obligations.
- FLSA and IRS employee misclassification
Many small business owners rely on independent contractors to keep operations running. Depending on their relationship with the business, though, these workers may be considered employees by the federal government. The Fair Labour Standards Act requires employers to pay workers who put in more than 40 hours per week 1.5 times their hourly rate.
- Whistle-blower Protection Program
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Whistle-blower Protection Program protects employees who expose or report a company’s violations from termination or retaliation. Under these protections, workers can express their concerns without the fear of being fired or demoted. Employers are in violation of this law if they retaliate against the employee in any way.
- OSHA’s workplace safety rules
OSHA aims to reduce activity that puts workers at risk or in hazardous situations. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 has several safety regulations in place to minimize workplace danger.
- Child labour laws
Working with young employees can be an interesting experience. If you do hire minors, make sure you comply with child labour laws. Under the FLSA of 1938, it is your responsibility as an employer to ensure your workplace is safe and doesn’t threaten the well-being or schooling of your young staff.
Proprietary blog of Karma Global
Collated and Compiled by the internal staff of Karma Global with the knowledge and expertise that they possess, besides adaptation, illustration, derivation, transformation, collection and auto generation for its monthly newsletter Issue 19 of January 2024 and in case of specific or general information or compliance updates for that matter, kindly reach out to the Marketing Team – kush@karmamgmt.com / yashika@karmamgmt.com