Labor Law

The Importance of Labor and Employment Law in Our Society Once upon a time, the owners of a business were like gods in the sense that they had total authority over all that took place within the conœnes of their establishments. Employees were no exception to this rule, and they often su¯ered at the hands of supervisors who were insensitive, if not outright hostile, to the needs and feelings of their subordinates. Hours of work, pay, safety, time o¯, and other terms and conditions of employment were dictated by the company. Employees could be discriminated against or refused employment altogether because of sex, race, religion, or age. Any employee who was a union member (or thought to be) would be terminated. Job classiœcations and lines of promotion were often segregated by race or sex. Safety rules and protective equipment were virtually unheard of and many employees su¯ered horrible injuries or death with little or no compensation to them or their families. Most employers had absolutely no sympathy for an employee’s family obligations and time o¯ was a rare commodity. ere were no human resource departments and no employee assistance programs. Employees who complained about any of the above could be œred at will.