Labor Law: What is Labor Law Anyway?

Fair question. I refer to labor law constantly and I presume everyone knows what we're talking about.

Labor law is that body of Federal and State laws which specifically regulates employers' interactions with employees and, to a lesser extent, prospective employees.

Turns out that California has the most intricate matrix of labor laws in the U. S. Not being aware of this dizzying array of legislation is dangerous and, forgive me, not too smart. It can lead to an employer losing money and credibility.

Before we descend into the maelstrom of acronyms (NLRA, FLSA, COBRA...) here is my view of what caused the Big Bang of labor law in 1964.

Stated simply, employers managed employees abusively and the ultimate result was a tsunami of labor laws evolving to today's annual release of new labor laws and case law decisions that has employers trying to keep their heads above water.

Different times in the early 1900's, different culture. But by managing badly employers actually brought this all on themselves. Food for thought.

Lance