LaborBrief
Federal baseline, state variation, primary sources

Labor laws and worker rights

Twenty plain-language research maps for wage, leave, safety, discrimination, organizing, and benefit questions.

Abstract overlapping rule layers and source paths in blue, coral, amber, and pine

Worker-rights questions rarely turn on a page title alone. Coverage may depend on the employer, employee, duties, location, size, industry, and date. Each topic starts with a federal baseline, flags where state rules can differ, and links to at least two primary publications.

The pages are general information, not legal advice. They do not decide whether a worker is covered, whether an exemption is met, or whether a deadline has run. State labor offices and federal enforcement agencies remain the source for current procedures and fact-specific guidance.

Source-first guideMinimum wage

The Fair Labor Standards Act sets a federal wage floor for covered, nonexempt employees. When a state or local rule requires a higher rate, the w…

Source-first guideOvertime pay

The FLSA generally requires covered, nonexempt employees to receive at least one and one-half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workw…

Source-first guideHours worked

Federal hours-worked rules focus on time an employee is suffered or permitted to work. Waiting time, training, travel, on-call time, and pre- or …

Source-first guidePay and time records

Covered employers must keep specified wage-and-hour records under the FLSA. The federal rules identify information such as employee identity, wor…

Source-first guideEmployee or independent contractor

Federal statutes use legal tests that examine the real working relationship. Under the FLSA, economic realities matter; a contract label, invoice…

Source-first guideFamily and medical leave

The FMLA provides eligible employees of covered employers with job-protected, unpaid leave for qualifying family and medical reasons, continuatio…

Source-first guidePaid sick leave

There is no single federal law that gives every private-sector worker a general bank of paid sick days. Federal contractor rules and other target…

Source-first guideMeal and rest breaks

The FLSA does not require meal or rest periods for adult workers. When short breaks are provided, federal regulations generally treat breaks of a…

Source-first guideFinal paycheck

Federal wage law requires covered employees to receive required minimum wages and overtime, but it does not create one nationwide deadline for ev…

Source-first guideTips and the tip credit

The FLSA permits a limited tip credit when statutory conditions are met, including notice and sufficient tips to reach the applicable minimum wag…

Source-first guideDeductions from pay

Under the FLSA, deductions for items primarily benefiting the employer cannot cut a covered worker’s pay below the required minimum wage or reduc…

Source-first guideWorkplace discrimination

Federal employment discrimination laws enforced by the EEOC prohibit covered employers from making employment decisions because of protected char…

Source-first guideDisability accommodation

The ADA requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would cause und…

Source-first guideWorkplace safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires covered employers to provide a workplace free from recognized serious hazards and to follow appli…

Source-first guideRetaliation and whistleblowing

Several federal labor laws prohibit retaliation for protected activities such as reporting wage violations, raising safety concerns, participatin…

Source-first guideUnion and concerted activity rights

The National Labor Relations Act protects many private-sector employees who act together regarding wages, hours, and working conditions, whether …

Source-first guideChild labor

The FLSA restricts the hours and occupations of workers under 18, with different rules for nonagricultural and agricultural employment. Hazardous…

Source-first guideEqual pay

The Equal Pay Act prohibits covered employers from paying employees of one sex less for substantially equal work requiring equal skill, effort, a…

Source-first guidePrevailing wage

The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require prevailing wages and fringe benefits on covered federal or federally assisted construction contracts. Ot…

Source-first guideMilitary service and USERRA

USERRA protects eligible service members’ reemployment rights and prohibits discrimination based on military service or obligations. Notice, cumu…

Start with minimum wage, overtime, family and medical leave, workplace safety, or discrimination. Then use the state index to reach the work state’s agency.

LaborBrief records a verification date and does not publish a state-specific conclusion without a current source. The verification page, source inventory, glossary, and state-law research guide explain the method.

Primary sources