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Labor and Employment: The American Worker

This database contains thousands of titles on the American workplace, covering the labor rights movement in the 19th century to the workplace of today.

Subjects

Subjects

HeinOnline editors have created 18 new subjects to help users target their research. Every title in this collection has been analyzed by HeinOnline editors and assigned one or more subjects based on its subject matter.

Explore these new subjects and their scope below:

Captive Labor

Slave labor formed an integral part of America's early economy and labor force. Today, incarcerated workers repair roads, fight wildfires, manufacture furniture, license plates, and more, often with paltry or no pay and without the workplace protections given to their non-incarcerated peers. Explore this subject with:

Employment Benefits

Workers expect to receive more than just a paycheck for their hard work and time, in the form of paid time off, employer-sponsored healthcare, paid sick time, and more. Learn about common benefits and the inequality experienced between workers in receiving these benefits with:

Equal Employment

This subject presents titles on creating a more equitable workplace for women, minorities, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, and the workplace challenges faced by the marginalized.

Immigrant Workers & Agriculture

Foreign-born workers make up approximately 17% of the total workforce in the United States and are more likely to be employed in agriculture, construction, and service industries. Learn about the vital role immigrant workers play in the economy with:

Labor Disputes & Strikes

Under this subject, users can find titles on specific strikes and work stoppages from history as well as titles dealing with these subjects generally.

Labor Laws & Legislation

Users can find titles relating to specific labor laws that have been passed and proposed laws. These laws can affect hiring, firing, benefits, workplace protections, and more.

Labor Market

The "labor market" refers to supply and demand for labor. It includes people looking for jobs as well as the type of employee that employers want. Examples of titles found under this subject include:

Labor Unions

Labor unions are groups of employees who join together to protect and advance their common interests, such as a higher wages, benefits, and safer working conditions. Learn about specific unions as well as how the work of unions helps advance all workers with:

Mediation & Labor Relations

This subject covers the relationship between employees and employers, the relationship between employees, and how a workplace functions. 

Minimum Wage

The federal minimum wage was created in 1938 by the Fair Labor Standard Act. Learn about the law that established it, arguments over what the federal minimum wage should be, and efforts to raise the minimum wage with this subject.

Occupational Illness & Dangers

When workers are injured on the job, they have certain legal rights. Certain professions are also more inherently dangerous than others, exposing workers to conditions that can result in life-threatening diseases. Learn how injured workers are compensated with:

Overtime Pay

Today, employees covered under the Fair Labor Standard Act (passed in 1938) must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate of time and one-half their regular pay rate. Learn about overtime pay with:

Pensions & Retirement

Pensions, or funds to care for a person when they retire from working, are as old as antiquity. In the United States, public pensions were offered to Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans and their survivors. Modern employer pension plans boomed in popularity during and after World War II, with defined benefit plans becoming the more popular retirement plan in the 1980s. Invest in how workers prepare to live after their working years with:

Public Sector Employees

Public sector employees work for the government, either federal, state, or local. It is taxpayer funded and service driven. Examples of public sector employees include public school teachers, firefighters, police officers, public transportation workers, and government workers. Approximately 14% of the U.S. workforce is employed in the public sector, or 20 million people.

Trade & Economy

The goods the United States trades with and imports from other countries drives the manufacturing base of the economy—and in turn affects workers and their wages. In turn, a healthy economy can support workers with good jobs and high wages. Learn about how trade and the broader economy impacts all workers with:

Unemployment Compensation

Eligible workers who are out of a job are entitled to benefits that vary from state to state. The Covid-19 pandemic saw unprecedented numbers of workers eligible for historical unemployment assistance. Learn about the history and current state of these benefits, as well as what wider unemployment trends may signal about the general workforce, with:

Wages

Workers trade their time for a paycheck. Learn about how wages are paid, calculated, and have changed over time with:

Workplace Protections

Various laws exist to make every workplace safe and welcoming for all. These protections include safeguarding workers' physical and emotional well-being, ensuring they are safe from injury and harassment. Stay safe with: