One of the things that makes employment law so complicated is the number of state and federal administrative agencies that are involved. As part of my ongoing mission to make things less confusing, here is a list of some of the agencies and what they do:
Pennsylvania Labor Board (technically the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board)
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (“PLRB”) is the agency that most Pennsylvanians know and believe can help them with their employment problems. The PLRB “administers and enforces Commonwealth laws dealing with labor-management relations”. The PLRB deals with union issues only – if you are not a union member and your dispute does not involve a union, the PLRB cannot help you.
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (“PHRC”) administers the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, which is the Pennsylvania law that forbids discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age and other grounds.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC”) is the federal agency that administers federal law forbidding discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age and other grounds.
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) is the federal agency that enforces federal laws regarding unions and union membership.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) is the federal agency that deals with workplace safety and health issues.
Wage and Hour
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor is the federal agency that enforces federal laws regarding wages, overtime, recordkeeping and some other issues.
Pennsylvania Labor and Industry
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (“L&I”) is in charge of Pennsylvania Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Compensation, wage and hour laws and other matters.
In most cases, you are better off if you direct your initial questions to a qualified employment lawyer rather than an agency. An employment lawyer can help you take action to protect your rights and/or point you in the right direction to make sure that your concerns are addressed.
A good place to start is with my Secret Employee Handbook. It is free, just click the link and provide the requested information. If you want a paper copy, call or email my office.