Labor and Employment Law
There are presently over 100 laws written that are designed to protect the rights of workers and
employers. The United States Department of Labor is tasked “to foster, promote, and develop the
welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working
conditions; advance opportunities of profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits
and rights.” (U.S. DOL – Mission.” U.S. DOL – Mission. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013).
Throughout this paper we will discuss 3 of the laws; The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993,
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Age Discrimination Act of 1975. The
aforementioned laws require employers to understand the requirements of each law and, ensure
implementation.
Situation A
The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 was created “to balance the demands of the workplace
with the needs of families.” (“Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, 03 June 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.). This law provides an avenue for employees to
take extended time off to address either personal or family health issues. Prior to this law many
employees faced the fear of possible job loss if personal or family health issues kept them from
working.
The Family Medical Leave Act denotes specific requirements that must be met for both
employer and employee to be eligible for FMLA. If a company has fifty or more employees then
the company is required to follow the Family Medical Leave Act. Employees are eligible for
FMLA if they have been at the company for twelve months, and worked at least 1250 hours
during those 12 months. Employees can elect the leave to be continuous, intermittent or areduced schedule. Employers are required to “post a poster summarizing the main provisions of
The Family and Medical Leave Act and telling employees how to file a complaint” (U.S.
Department of Labor, 2012).
Family Medical Leave is considered unpaid time off….