| Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace |
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| Historically, employers, both public and private, were free to discriminate against employees or applicants because of their sexual orientation, which includes homosexuality, heterosexuality, and bisexuality. It was not illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or to demote someone because he or she was a homosexual. Today, while sexual orientation is not afforded the same broad protection from discrimination as race, religion, or gender, it's protection from discrimination has been steadily increasing at the federal, state, and local levels. More... |
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| Unemployment Insurance -- Financing -- Funding Strategies |
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| Typically, states use one of two primary strategies to fund their unemployment insurance programs. The first, advance funding, relies on the establishment and maintenance of a sizeable fund out of which unemployment benefits can be paid. The second, known as pay-as-you-go, utilizes a system by which employers are called upon to pay into the fund on an as needed basis. Both systems are currently in use, and both have their pros and cons. More... |
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| Labor Management Relations Act |
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| In 1947, Congress passed the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA), also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, which amended the National Labor Relations Act primarily to impose certain restrictions on the activities of labor unions. The LMRA also imposed upon employers and labor unions a "mutual obligation . . . to meet at reasonable times and confer in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment, or the negotiation of an agreement or any question arising thereunder." This obligation is known as the "duty to bargain." More... |
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| Unemployment Insurance -- Financing -- Setting Taxes |
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| The federal-state unemployment insurance program is financed primarily by taxes collected from employers whose employees are protected by the program (and therefore entitled to collect benefits). Typically, these taxes are calculated as a percentage of the employer's payroll. The percentage, as well as the amount of the payroll taxed, however, may vary. More... |
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| The Department of Labor |
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| In 1913, Congress passed a law establishing the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL was created with the stated purpose of fostering, promoting, and developing the welfare of wage earners in the United States. It was also tasked with improving the working conditions of American employees and with advancing their opportunities for profitable employment. More... |
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