Explore the plight and successes of America’s working class with HeinOnline’s editorialized collection of more than 10,000 titles that illuminate the history of labor conditions and employment law in the United States. Labor and Employment: The American Worker is an extensive collection that allows users to explore all of the cases, legislation, scholarly articles, and much more related to the workplace in the United States.
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About the Database
Since the formation of the first national labor union in 1866, the American workplace has been marked by ongoing conflict between employees and employers, characterized by poor wages, lack of benefits, and job dissatisfaction heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This database offers users a unique perspective on the history and current landscape of America’s workforce.
It includes legislative histories, Supreme Court case briefs, accounts of historical labor riots, and reports on working conditions. The database also features a chart of landmark court cases related to labor and employment law, from state court cases with national impact to decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court, covering cases from 1842 to 2018. Additionally, there are hundreds of expertly written scholarly articles on employment protections, labor contracts, collective bargaining, and more from 1904 to present, with new articles added monthly.
For further research, over 200 highly recommended titles are available, each linked to its WorldCat entry to help users locate the book in a nearby library.
Subject-Coded Content
To help users navigate the content spanning this extensive database, HeinOnline editors have created 18 new subjects, including:
- Captive Labor
- Employment Benefits
- Equal Employment
- Immigrant Workers & Agriculture
- Labor Disputes & Strikes
- Labor Laws & Legislation
- Labor Market
- Labor Unions
- Mediation & Labor Relations
- Minimum Wage
- Occupational Illness & Dangers
- Overtime Pay
- Pensions & Retirement
- Public Sector Employees
- Trade & Economy
- Unemployment Compensation
- Wages
- Workplace Protections
Featured Content
Interactive Timeline: This database features an interactive timeline that charts labor efforts to organize from 1842 up to the current decline—and rise—of unions in America. Interspersed within the timeline acts, court cases, statistics, and more, represented through images, videos, and links to full-text documents in HeinOnline.
Landmark Cases: Unique to this database is a chart of 24 landmark federal and state court cases related to labor and employment law, each including date and a brief synopsis and linking directly to the original full-text decision.
Books: Browse thousands of books ranging in date from the early 1900s to present day. Find accounts of the Haymarket Riot and other famous labor uprisings, treatises decrying communism, histories of unions, and more.
Government Documents: HeinOnline editors have hand-selected committee prints and congressional hearings that provide insight into the federal government’s stances on the state of labor and employment, as well as relevant Congressional Research Service and Government Accountability Office reports.
Legislation & Supreme Court Briefs: This collection includes legislative histories that illustrate the progression of essential labor-related laws, as well as relevant sections of the CFR on labor and employment (CFR Title 20: Employees Benefits, CFR Title 29: Labor and US Code Title 29: Labor) and more than 300 Supreme Court briefs.
Scholarly Articles & Bibliography: Researchers can peruse hundreds of articles selected on employment discrimination, wrongful termination, collective bargaining, how the New Deal shaped labor law, right-to-work laws, labor disputes in major league sports, and more. Additionally, our editors have created a bibliography of other relevant books, including links to WorldCat entries.
Serials & Periodicals: Browse serials and periodicals dedicated to labor and employment matters, including Annual Report of the National Labor Relations Board, Decisions of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal, and Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Learn more in the dedicated LibGuide.