30/09/2019
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW: AN OVERVIEW
Labor law has traditionally encompassed the relationships among unions, employers, and employees. Labor laws grant employees in certain sectors the right to unionize and allow employers and employees to engage in certain workplace-related activities (for example, strikes and lockouts) in order to further their demands for changes in the employer-employee relationship.
Employment law, on the other hand, is defined more broadly as the negotiated relationships between employers and employees. Although employment lawyers deal with many of the same parties as labor lawyers (i.e., workers and companies), they conventionally address issues that fall outside the framework of union-management relations and collective bargaining. As a result, the extent to which statutes or regulations pertain to unions and union-workers usually determines whether or not they are regarded as components of “labor law” or “employment law.”
Given the distinguishable set of issues encompassed in each field, labor law and employment law remain discrete areas of practice. However, these two fields have, over time, become increasingly symbiotic. Careers in either field can involve both labor and employment law questions. This page will give you a better sense of the major differences between the two areas so that you are better able to define your particular interests.