Labor conflicts can have massive consequences for employers and employees in today’s complicated business environment. Steering the complexities of labor laws needs professional legal assistance to ensure compliance, resolve disputes, and safeguard rights in a friendly manner. If you’re an employment lawyer in Connecticut, you must be often asked about the distinction between labor and employment lawyers. While both types of lawyers focus on problems in the workplace, there are some significant differences between them. Let’s discuss everything in detail!
Employment Attorneys: Overview
Employment attorneys depict individual employees in a wide array of employment-oriented matters, including:
- Harassment – They can guide employees who have been harassed due to both sexual, bullying, and malicious work environments. The lawyers can inspect the type of harassment, evaluate whether it’s illegal, and depict employees in legal proceedings if required.
- Wrongful termination – Employment attorneys in Connecticut can assist employees who have been terminated without a valid reason. They can inspect the firing situations, evaluate whether it was legal, and represent employees in litigations if required.
- Wage and hour conflicts – They can help employees who have been denied overtime pay, minimum wage, or other types of compensation. Such lawyers can examine the dispute, crosscheck if the employer infringes on the law, and depict employees in legal proceedings.
- Discrimination – Workers who have experienced inequality due to their race, gender, age, impairment, or other legally protected characteristics can get assistance from employment attorneys.
Labor Attorneys: Overview
They show unions and their members in a distinct range of labor-oriented cases, including:
- Union representation – Labor attorneys support unions in adjudication and grievance methods, which are mechanisms to settle disagreements between companies and unions.
- Collective bargaining – Such lawyers negotiate collective bargaining covenants on behalf of the unions, which are agreements between employers and unions that outline the employment terms for union members.
- Deceitful labor ethics – Labor lawyers file charges with the NLRB on the union’s behalf when employers partake in unethical labor practices, such as differentiating against union members or intruding with union organizing.
Differences Between Employment and Labor Attorneys
The elementary differences between both lawyers are the following:
- The focus of practice – Employment attorneys tackle a comprehensive range of workplace problems impacting employees, while labor attorneys focus on union-oriented matters.
- Clientele – Employment attorneys depict individual employees, whereas labor attorneys usually depict unions and their members.
When to Choose a Labor Attorney Vs. Employment Attorney
The selection between an employment and labor attorney depends on your condition and the characteristics of the legal issue you’re dealing with:
Select an employment lawyer when:
- You seek help with employment contract negotiation, workplace safety infringements, or severance agreements.
- You’re an employee facing harassment, discrimination, wage conflicts, and illegal termination.
- You need advice and representation in some matters unrelated to scheduled labor or cooperative bargaining.
Select a labor lawyer when:
- You need guidance while interpreting or negotiating labor union agreements.
- You’re a labor firm or union demanding representation in cooperative bargaining or labor conflicts.
- Your fundamental concern is to ensure that labor laws and terms are supported within your firm.
Conclusion
Employment and labor attorneys play pivotal roles in the realm of employment and labor law. However, their working areas and clients are different. Labor lawyers work with organized labor, while employment lawyers deal with individual employees in a broader range of workplace problems. Knowing these distinctions can help you make an informed decision while seeking legal guidance for your workplace-oriented hassles. Finding the best attorney is crucial to defending your work rights, whether you desire assistance drafting a labor union agreement or prosecuting a discrimination action.