1. Chapter 5 Lesson 2
Workers and the Law

2. What You’ll Learn 5 major employment laws
3 major federal equal employment opportunity laws
Importance of occupational safety and health laws
About the Fair Labor Standards Act
5 benefit laws
How labor relations protect workers

3. Initiation
Do you think government should tell businesses how to treat their workers or what type of people to hire?

4. The Importance of Employment Laws
Why create employment laws?
Companies could pay what they wanted and make employees work under dangerous conditions.
Companies could refuse to hire certain people (women)
Employment laws
Regulate the relationship between companies and their workers and give workers significant rights and benefits.

5. 5 Major Kinds of Employment Laws
Equal Employment Opportunity:
No discrimination
Occupational Safety and Health:
Must comply with certain standards
Wage-hour:
Establish minimum wage, overtime, and child labor standards
Benefits:
Guarantee workers certain benefits
Labor Relations:
Protect the right to organize unions

6. Equal Employment Opportunity Laws (p.121-122)
Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964 – companies can’t discriminate against an employee because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
Age Discrimination in Employment Act – companies can’t discriminate against employees because of their age (hiring, promotion, or retirement)
Americans with Disabilities Act – companies can’t discriminate against persons with disabilities

7. Occupational Safety and Health Laws (p.122-123)
OSHA – sets standards for keeping workplaces clean and free of hazards, such as unsafe machinery and dangerous chemicals

8. Wage-Hour Laws (p.123)
Fair Labor Standards Act – protects workers in the following three ways:
Sets minimum wage companies can pay workers
Sets number of hours employees can work in a week without receiving overtime pay
Prohibits companies from employing children under the age of 14

9. Benefits Laws (P )
Social Security Act – provides workers and their families with income after retirement
Employee Retirement Act – protects the money put into an employee’s retirement fund by companies and workers
Unemployment Insurance Laws -
Workers’ Compensation Laws -
Family and Medical Leave Act- companies must give employees up to 12 weeks of leave to care for child, spouse, or parent

10. Labor Relations Laws
National Labor Relations Act – gives employees the right to organize into unions
Unions – groups of workers who collectively bargain for rights such as higher wages and better working conditions

11. You are an attorney representing an insurance company
You are an attorney representing an insurance company. The president asks you advice on what kinds of EEO laws regulate the company.
How would you advise the president?

12. Section 5.2 Assessment P.129 Fact and Idea Review #1-6
Critical Thinking #1 & 2

13. Activity
Use a computer to create a crossword puzzle/word search for the terms that you have defined or create a quiz (matching, multiple choice, fill-in).
Have a classmate complete your puzzle or quiz.
Make sure you print a copy to submit to me, as well as an answer sheet