Also known as:labors · labored · laboring · labour · employment · work
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Collective action by workers concerning wages, hours, and working conditions, together with the legal rules governing employer responses to such action.
Sources & Authorities· 38 primary sources
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Cases
Statutes
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Union Notes Protected
Logan Lane, a union organizer at Lighthouse Shipping, prepared notes summarizing employee grievances for a potential unfair labor practice charge. When the company sought discovery of those notes in later litigation, the court applied work-product protection and shielded the materials because they were prepared in anticipation of litigation.
Former Union Lawyer Barred
Lillian Locke represented a labor union in private practice before joining a government agency that now investigates the same union. The agency denied her participation in the matter because she had participated personally and substantially in the identical labor dispute while in private practice.
Lance Lee hired an independent contractor to repair a loading dock used by union laborers at Lakeshore Industries. After the contractor finished, a laborer was injured because the dock remained hazardous. Lee remained liable because he failed to exercise reasonable care to confirm the premises were safe after the work.
Employee Input Privileged
Lucy Liu, a rank-and-file employee at Lexicon Media, was directed by her supervisor to meet with corporate counsel about impending labor organizing. Her statements to counsel were protected by attorney-client privilege even though she was not part of senior management.
Union Supplier as Merchant
Levi Lowe, a supplier who regularly sells safety equipment to labor unions, contracted with Lunar Dynamics to provide gear for striking workers. Because Lowe dealt in goods of that kind, he qualified as a merchant and the transaction was governed by the UCC's merchant rules.
Spouse Seeks Maintenance
Leo Lynch sought maintenance after his spouse, a union officer, left the marriage. Because Lynch was the custodian of a child whose medical condition made outside employment inappropriate, the court found he satisfied the statutory prerequisite for an award.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
What distinguishes labor law from employment law?+
Labor law governs collective action by workers concerning wages, hours, and working conditions and employer responses to that action. Employment law addresses individual employment relationships outside the collective context.
Does labor law apply only to unionized workplaces?+
No. All employees have rights under labor law to engage in collective action for mutual gain whether or not they are represented by a union.
Which statute forms the core of modern private-sector labor law?+
The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, administered by the National Labor Relations Board, supplies the foundational procedures employees follow when seeking union representation.
410 U.S. 113 (1973)Constitutional Law
…recommending, among other things, that it "be unlawful and unprofessional for any physician to induce abortion or premature labor, without the concurrent opinion of at least one respectable consulting physician, and then always with a view to the safety of the child— if that be possible," and calling "the attention of…
ContractsPerformance, breach, and discharge · Discharge of duties (including accord and satisfaction, substituted contract, novation, rescission, and release)UBEIntermediate