Workers' Protections in the USA - Essay Sample

Introduction

Historically, there were times when workers were fully under the control of their employers, specifically when it comes to benefits and safety measures. Also, the employers had the full responsibility for initiating promotions as well as hiring processes. However, the push for rights of workers increases towards the end of the 20th century (CorderoGuzman, 2015). There was the formation of different essential laws that continue to guide the work force to date. Currently, in the United States of America, the Department of Labor administers close to two hundred labor laws ranging from parental leave benefits to pay requirements. Some other workers protection rights are usually supervised by different agencies, including the United States Employment Opportunity Commission. In the United States of America, workers protection incorporate different issues from race, gender, and age. In some cases, in the work environment, employers tend to discriminate workers in terms of their complexion, age, and gender; a situation that requires the intervention of worker's protection activists (Lutnick & Cohan, 2009).

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Worker's protection rights in the United States consists of federal statutes that aid in the protection of whistleblowers who often report the violations of laws by the employers. In most cases, whistleblowers protections emanates from the pieces of legislation that controls a given industry. For instance, there is the Clean Air Act that protects the individuals who highlight violations of the environmental laws as well as the consumer product safety acts (CorderoGuzman, 2015). The above scenario, therefore, indicates that there is a guarantee for protection for individuals who uncover unlawful treatment of people based on their gender, race, or even age. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the main accelerator of social justice in the United States, specifically when it comes to employment (Lutnick& Cohan, 2009). The worker's protection activists often rely on the above Act to end discrimination characterized by racism, age, and gender. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal for businesses and different organizations to discriminate workers based on the color, race, sex, religion or even the national origin (CorderoGuzman, 2015). Also, the worker's protection activists and organizations rely on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act formulated in the year 2009 to strengthen workplace rights (CorderoGuzman, 2015). The above act prohibits wage discrimination against minorities and women. Some other federal laws that are used by the worker's rights activists include, the Age Discrimination Employment Act formulated in the year 1967, and the American with Disability Act formulated in the year 1990 (CorderoGuzman, 2015).

In the United States, discrimination has been a major challenge experienced in different sectors, from politics, social life, to businesses. Also, America, being a nation of multicultural diversity, experiences discriminations at different levels. Thus, there is always a need for workers protection in different sectors. In most cases, employees suffer from discrimination based on gender. As a result, some people lose jobs or become dissatisfied with the works (Diaz-Ordaz, 2010). Also, there are some organizations that discriminate their workers based on the color or race. Racism, being a major challenge even to the national government, impacts many organizations either in the private of the public sector. With the dissatisfaction brought by discrimination, many workers cannot work effectively.

Worker's protections in the United States exist in a different aspect. Trade unions are some of the movements that defend workers in various industries. Some workers protections advocates for the appropriate remuneration for workers in various sectors, income equality, and proper working condition. In every sector, there are unions that defend workers and provides checks and balances between the employers such as the government and the worker. One of the worker's protection group includes the Service Employees International Union that consists of over two million members (Diaz-Ordaz, 2010). The union is concerned with the improvement of the lives of workers, including healthcare professionals, nurses, and workers in the hotel, public employees, and the workers in the hospitality industries. The main aim of the above organization is to ensure a safety working environment free from discrimination in terms of gender, race, and age. In different industries, different activists operate in ensuring that workers are treated with dignity and are paid according to the stated standards in the labor laws (Diaz-Ordaz, 2010). In the United States, there is also the Federation of workers whose main agenda is to ensure safety and effective remuneration or payment of workers in different industries.

Conclusion

In conclusion, workers protection rights are therefore essential in protecting the actions of both the workers who are discriminated and the employers who encourage discriminatory activities based on gender. Worker protection in the United States, target complex areas covered by employees. The trade unions are, therefore regarded as the worker's protections that ensures a reduction in racism, discrimination based on gender and age. Worker's protection organization in the United States and anywhere around the world usually protect workers from the harsh working environments that may challenge their ability to perform better. Individuals advocating for workers protection in the United States normally rely on different social factors that are some of the major challenges towards social existence.

References

CorderoGuzman, H. R. (2015). Worker centers, worker center networks, and the promise of protections for lowwage workers. WorkingUSA, 18(1), 31-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/wusa.12152

Diaz-Ordaz, L. (2010). Real Work: Domestic Workers' Exclusion from the Protections of Labor Laws. Buff. J. Gender L. & Soc. Pol'y, 19, 107. https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=bjglsp

Lutnick, A., & Cohan, D. (2009). Criminalization, legalization or decriminalization of sex work: what female sex workers say in San Francisco, USA. Reproductive Health Matters, 17(34), 38-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080 (09)34469-9.