Download Career Center Lesson #3

Cooperative Work Experience
Education (CWEE)
PowerPoint Presentation #3
Spring 2011
Chapter One – Your Employment
Relationship
Job Savvy: How to be a Success at
Work
Resolving Employee Rights Issues

There are three factors that Employee
Rights are based on:



Federal and State Employment Laws
Personnel Policies
Union Contracts
Federal Employment Laws

The federal government places certain
restrictions and requirements on all
employees. They also place restrictions
and requirements on employers.

Appendix “A Review of Federal Employment
Laws” (in your textbook) discusses important
federal employment laws that affect you in the
workplace.
State Employment Laws

Employment laws are different depending
on the state in which you work.

To learn more about California’s Employment
Laws, visit California Department of Industrial
Relations on the web at: www.dir.ca.gov.
Personnel Policies

Most employers have personnel handbooks
that are given to each person at the time of
hire. These policies usually describe
desirable behavior, employee rights, and
employee benefits. Most courts view
personnel policies to be a formal contract
between the employee and employer.
Union Contracts

Employers sign contracts with different
labor unions, depending on the various
types of work that employee do at their
companies.

For example, here at West Hills College
Lemoore, administration has signed contracts
with the California Community College Faculty
Association (the labor union for the teachers) and
the California School Employees Association (the
labor union for the classified staff).
Grievances



A Grievance is a formal disagreement between
employee and their employer.
Grievances are usually the result when an
employer is perceived to not be in accordance to
employment laws/policies.
An employee who is filing against a company for
not falling employment laws is called a , “whistle
blower.” Whistle blowers are protected by laws to
prohibit employers from bringing retaliatory
problems against the whistle blower.
How Do I Make a Grievance?


If you are under a labor contract, you must
follow their procedures.
For those employees not under a labor
contract, please refer to your personnel
policy manual or handbook.
How Do I Make a Grievance?
(continued)



Generally, an employee will file a grievance with their
supervisor. Allow them the time and opportunity to fix the
situation. Many times, the issue is just a misunderstanding.
If the problem continues, contact the human resources office.
If the problem continues, contact the appropriate government
agency that oversees this type of law enforcement. For
example, if the employment issue is diversity, then you would
want to contact the local office of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission.

If you do not know what agency to contact, contact the
California Department of Industrial Relations.
Other Resources


U.S. Department of Labor
www.dol.gov
National Labor Relations Board
www.nlrb.gov
The End, At Last
You have come to the end of this lesson. Now, for
your question…
In three – five sentences, name one area of
employment rights that you feel your employer
could improve on. What could they be doing
better? Email your answer to
[email protected] This is your last
PowerPoint lesson for this semester.