Definition

• U.S. employment laws are technically bills adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the U.S. president. Because the laws are federal, they apply equally in every state within the United States. This is different from state laws, which apply only in the particular state in which the law was passed.
  
  

Time Frames

• As a general rule, U.S. employment laws apply as soon as you submit an application for a job. This means, for example, that a disabled employee who submits a job application is immediately protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits the employer from discriminating on the basis of the applicant's disability, even if the applicant is never actually hired. And if the applicant is hired, then the employment laws apply until the employment relationship ends, meaning the employee is fired or quits.
  
  

Features

• Most employees never sign an employment contract, which is unfortunate because an employment contract can provide important protections and guarantees for employees, such as minimum employment length, minimum pay and more. Fortunately, U.S. employment laws fill many of the gaps that otherwise might have been covered in an employment contract. In other words, the U.S. employment laws provide protections for employees in America.
  
  

Types

• Employees in America must be paid a minimum wage, must be paid equally regardless of gender and must be paid overtime (equal to base pay times 1.5) for hours worked beyond 40 in one week.
  
  Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, religion, age, disability, gender, family status and national origin. Similarly, employers are prohibited from harassing employees.
  
  Federal law requires employers to maintain safe workplaces by following certain minimum guidelines, such as how distant construction equipment must remain away from electrical power lines.
  
  

Identification

• Each employment law in the United States is enforced by an appropriate federal agency, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. If at any time you believe that your employer may have violated your rights under U.S. federal law, contact one of those agencies to discuss your case. You can also start by contacting the U.S. Department of Justice, which can point you in the right direction.