Labor law governs the collective relationship between groups of workers and their employers. While individual employment law focuses on one worker's rights, labor law focuses on workers acting together, most often through unions.
Common matters include forming or joining a union, collective bargaining over wages and working conditions, the negotiation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements, grievances and arbitration, and disputes over strikes, picketing, or other organized activity. It also addresses the legal boundaries of how employers and unions may treat one another during these processes.
Key concepts a non-lawyer should understand include the right of many workers to organize and bargain collectively, the idea of a bargaining unit that a union represents, and the role of a contract negotiated between a union and an employer that sets shared terms for a workplace. Labor law also recognizes certain practices by either employers or unions as unfair, and provides processes to address them.
People typically encounter labor law when they are involved in a union organizing effort, when a workplace contract is being negotiated or appears to have been violated, or when a dispute arises over collective activity. Workers, unions, and employers often seek legal guidance to understand their rights and obligations within this specialized framework.
