No single set of employment laws covers all workers in the United States. Whether and how laws apply also depend on such things as whether the employees work for the government or in the private sector, whether they have union representation, and the size of their employer. Our main focus will be on federal laws because these reach most widely across U.S. workplaces and often serve as models for state and local laws. However, we will also mention significant variations in the employment laws of different states.

There is another problem with the idea of just learning the legal rules and adhering to them. Employment law is dynamic. New law is created and old law is reinterpreted continuously. Recent political changes and the prospect of a significant realignment of the U.S. Supreme Court create uncertainty about what the law change. At any point in time, there are “well-settled” legal questions on which there is consensus, other matters that are only partially, and still other questions that have yet to be considered by the courts and other legal decision makers.

At any point in time, there are “well-settled” legal questions on which there is consensus, other matters that are only partially, and still other questions that have yet to be considered by the courts and other legal decision makers.You must be prepared to tolerate some ambiguity and keep learning, however, as the law of the workplace continues to develop.

Legal rules governing the workplace are issued by all branches of national and state governments. Constitutions are the most basic source of law. Constitutions address the relationships between different levels of government and between governments and their citizens. A legal claim based on a constitution must generally assert a violation of someone’s constitutional rights by the government.

Employment laws confer rights on employees and impose corresponding responsibilities on employers. Paradoxically, the starting point for understanding employee rights is a legal doctrine holding that employees do not have any right to be employed or to retain their employment. This doctrine, known as employment at will, holds that in the absence of a contract, the employment relationship can be severed at any time and for any reason not specifically prohibited by law. A central part of employment law is the set of protections for employees against discrimination based on their race, sex, age, and other grounds.

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