Get answers to labor law publication questions that commonly baffle employers in various states and locations. This is in addition to California's current paid sick leave law, the Healthy Jobs, Healthy Families Act, which requires all employers to extend three days of mandatory paid sick leave. In addition to being the first state to pass an emergency COVID-19 standard this year, Virginia enacted numerous laws regarding minimum wage, employee misclassification, wage theft, prohibiting non-compete agreements with low-wage workers, hair discrimination, and discrimination by sexual orientation. Government employees have no right to unionize, and the state has made it difficult for private sector workers to do so.
In addition to the state of Montana, where probationary periods (also known as training or onboarding periods) are mandatory, all states have the option of implementing them if they wish, which typically includes a 30, 60, or 90 day period in which the employer monitors and evaluates a new employee, as well as possibly postponing benefit provision (e) A total of 15 states include whistleblower protections for both public and private sector employees. In those states, it is illegal for unions to collect any fees from employees in unionized workplaces if they do not want to pay union dues. Labor laws have been changing over the years to try to find a balance between employers' and workers' rights, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Workers' rights differ greatly from state to state, with some having fairly strict laws and others having rules that are relatively lax and don't protect employees.
Employers also don't have to notify workers of schedule changes in advance, and protections against sexual harassment are almost non-existent. It can be argued that unions can increase employee wages and benefits through collective bargaining, while offering more job security to union members. Emerging legislation in key states acts as a trend in the overall labor law landscape, with eventual and broader application for more employers across the country. Washington doesn't require employers to accommodate breastfeeding mothers like California or DC, and it doesn't require employers to give workers flexible hours and advance notice of schedule changes.
Ultimately, Oxfam reported that this problem could be alleviated by raising minimum wages across the country, strengthening protections for workers, annulling laws on the right to work, and replacing the current vision of unions with a more positive one leading to favorable and fair outcomes. for employers and workers. They generally only apply to public sector employees, which means that a large proportion of workers are not protected.