Labor releases updated guide

The U.S. Department of Labor has released an updated version of its “Employment Law Guide,” an online publication that describes the major employment laws administered by the department.

The updated version addresses recent and important changes in employment laws, including the increase in the federal minimum wage and an expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act that grants qualified relatives of veterans leave to care for ill or injured uniformed service members or to fulfill obligations that arise when a relative is called to active duty in the military. The Guide also now includes a chapter on child labor regulations in the agriculture industry and one on the Defense Base Act, which provides workers’ compensation benefits to civilian employees working outside the United States on U.S. military bases or under certain contracts with the U.S.

The Employment Law Guide is a companion to the department’s FirstStep overview advisor, an online system that allows employers to quickly and easily determine which federal employment laws apply to them by answering a few simple questions about relevant variables.

Both the Guide and FirstStep are available at www.dol.gov/elaws/ or www.dol.gov/compliance/.