Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to provide a starting point for research in the areas of labor and employment law. Labor law refers to relations between employers and labor unions. Employment law refers to the relationship between employers and employees not involving labor unions. Topics of labor and employment law include union organizing, collective bargaining, labor arbitration, employment discrimination, wages and hours, and work place standards, among others. Most of the sources presented in this guide can be found at the University of Minnesota Law Library.

Primary Sources

Labor and employment statutes and regulations exist at both the federal and state level. They are enforced and interpreted by administrative agencies and the courts. This means that both administrative and judicial primary sources may contain relevant information.
Statutes
Many federal statutes related to labor and employment law may be found in Title 29 of the United States Code (Reserve KF62 2000x). State codes also cover employment and labor law. A listing of the state codes available at the University of Minnesota Law Library can be found at: http://local.law.umn.edu/library/tools/eresources/gdocs/stateslist.html. A listing of relevant state statutory provisions can be found at http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/state_statutes3.html#labor. Current codes can be found on the plaza level of the library, in the primary collection. More on researching statutory law can be found in: Researching Federal and State Statutes http://www.law.umn.edu/library/pathfinders/statutes-guide.htm.

Agency Regulations
Many federal regulations can be found in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Primary KF70.A34 I53x). State regulations are compiled in the administrative code for each state. A listing of the state administrative codes available at the University of Minnesota Law Library can be found at: http://local.law.umn.edu/library/tools/eresources/gdocs/stateslist.html. The current regulations promulgated by Minnesota agencies are found in the Minnesota Rules (Primary KFM5434.5 .M56x). For more on researching agency regulations please see: Administrative Law Research http://www.law.umn.edu/library/pathfinders/fedreg.html.

Cases
While many federal and state cases on employment and labor law can be found in general case reporters, it is most efficient to use topical reporters. The University of Minnesota Law Library has several related labor and employment law:

Americans with Disabilities Cases. Looseleaf Services KF3364 .L326x
Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board. Looseleaf Services KF3372.A55 U54
Individual Employment Rights Cases. Looseleaf Services KF3364 .L327x
Fair Employment Practice Cases. Looseleaf Services KF3464 .A514
Labor Arbitration Awards. Looseleaf Services KF3421.5 .L323
Labor Arbitration Reports. Looseleaf Services KF3421.A2 L32
Labor Cases. Looseleaf Services KF3310.A22 L33
Employment Practices Decisions. Looseleaf Services KF3464.A6 C64
Labor Relations Reference Manual. Looseleaf Services KF3364 .L33
Wage and Hour Cases. Looseleaf Services KF3310.A2 W34

Looseleaf Services

A good starting point for finding reprinted texts of the above primary sources is a looseleaf service, an up-to-date compilation of statutes, regulations, and cases related to particular topics. The following services are excellent resources for labor and employment law research:

Employment Coordinator. Looseleaf Services KF3315 .E472

Employment Practices. Law Library Looseleaf Services KF3464.A6 C65

Labor Law Reporter. Looseleaf Services KF3310.A22 L32 1980

Labor Relations Reporter. Looseleaf Services KF3364 .L325. (This source is also available online (as BNA Labor & Employment Law Library) from the workstations located in the Law Library at: http://laborandemploymentlaw.bna.com/lelw.)

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources provide commentary and analysis and are useful for finding primary sources. Included are bibliographies, dictionaries, books, and periodical articles. Below are examples of useful secondary resources related to labor and employment law. These are starting points only, and should not be considered an exhaustive list.

Bibliographies/Research Guides

"Federal Labor and Employment Law" / Kay M. Todd in Specialized Legal Research (New York; Aspen Law & Business, 1997- ) Reference Office KF240 .S63x 1987

“Employment” in WEX at Legal Information Institute http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Employment

“Labor” in WEX at Legal Information Institute http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Labor

Dictionaries

Labor, Employment, and the Law: A Dictionary / Christopher Thomas Anglim. (Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, 1997) Law Library KF3317 .A54 1997

The Lexicon of Labor : More Than 500 Key Terms, Biographical Sketches, And Historical Highlights Concerning Labor In America / R. Emmett Murray. (New York : New Press, 1998.) Wilson Library Business Reference HD8066 .M87 1998.

Books
Books can be found by searching MNCAT (http://mncat.lib.umn.edu), the University of Minnesota’s online catalog. They can also be found in WorldCat (http://www.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wcat.cgi), a database showing the holdings of numerous libraries in the U.S. and abroad. Relevant materials can be found using the following subject searches:
Employee rights
Employees--Dismissal of
Industrial hygiene
Industrial safety
Insurance, unemployment
Labor laws and legislation
Labor contract
Labor discipline
Occupational diseases
Wages
Workers compensation
Useful titles include:
Basic Text on Labor Law :Unionization, and Collective Bargaining / by Robert A. Gorman, Matthew W. Finkin (St. Paul, MN : Thomson/West, 2004.) Law Library Reserve KF3389 .G67 2004
Challenging the Myths of Fair Employment Practices / Richard S. Barrett. (Westport, Conn. : Quorum, 1998.) Wilson Library HF5549.5.S38 B375 1998
The Common Law of the Workplace : The Views of Arbitrators / Theodore J. St. Antoine, editor. (Washington, DC : Bureau of National Affairs, 2005.) Law Library Reserve KF3424 .C66 2005
The Developing Labor Law: The Board, the Courts, and the National Labor Relations / Patrick Hardin, ed. (5th ed. Washington, D.C. : Bureau of National Affairs, c2006) Law Library Reserve KF3369 .D48 2006
Employee Dismissal Law and Practice / Henry H. Perritt, Jr. (New York : Aspen Publishers, 2006-) Law Library KF3471 .P471
Employment in Minnesota : A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations, and Practices / Maynard G. Sautter. (Carlsbad, Calif. : LEXIS Law Publishing, Parker Publications Division, 1997-) Law Library KFM5731 .S28x
Employment Law / Mark A. Rothstein, ed. (3d ed. St. Paul, MN : Thomson/West, c2005) Law Library Reserve KF3455 .E468 2005
Employment Law Handbook / Minnesota State Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education (St. Paul, Minn. : Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, 2006.) Law Library Reserve KF209 .M54x 2006 no. 43
Employment Law and Practice / Stephen F. Befort. (Saint Paul, inn.: Thomson/West, 2003) Law Library KFM5480 .M53
Employment Relationships : Law & Practice / Mark W. Bennett, Donald J. Polden, Howard J. Rubin. (New York : Aspen Law & Business, 1998- ) Law Library KF3455 .B456 The Fair Labor Standards Act / editor-in-chief, Ellen C. Kearns ; senior editor, Monica Gallagher. (Washington, DC : Bureau of National Affairs, 1999.) Law Library KF3484.528 .F35 1999
How Arbitration Works / Elkouri & Elkouri. (Washington, D.C. : Bureau of National Affairs, 2003.) Law Library Reserve KF3424 .E53 2003
International Labor and Employment Laws / editors-in-chief William L. Keller, Timothy J. Darby (Washington, D.C. : Bureau of National Affairs, 2003) Law Library K1705 .I58 2003
Labor Arbitration : What You Need to Know / by Robert Coulson. (Huntington, N.Y. : Juris Pub., 2003). Law Library HD6972.5 .C68 2003
Minnesota Employer’s Guide / Michele A. Potts, editor. (Austin : Wolters Kluwer Law & Busness, 2007) Law Library Reserve KFM5734 .M57x

Periodicals
Periodicals on labor and employment can be found by searching MNCAT or WorldCat by subject, using “labor laws and legislation – periodicals.” To further narrow the search by region, use “labor laws and legislation – [place] – periodicals.” Some periodicals may be available electronically. Those that are available through a University subscription will have a link provided in the catalog. They may also be accessed by going to: http://tc.liblink.umn.edu/sfx_local/azlist/default. Below is a sampling of employment and labor specific periodicals. Remember that many general legal periodicals also include labor and employment topics. Use Index to Legal Periodicals (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?custid=0000053689&prod=ILPIN) or LegalTrac (https://www.lib.umn.edu/log.phtml?id=3316&url=http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/umn_wilson?db=LT) to identify relevant articles.
Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law. Law Library Periodicals Per .B465
Employee Relations Law Journal. Law Library Periodicals Per.E47
Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal. Law Library Periodicals Per.E475
Hofstra Labor Law Journal. Law Library Periodicals Per.H622
Journal of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Employment. Law Library Periodicals Per .J6833
The Labor Lawyer. Law Library Periodicals Per.L247
University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor And Employment Law. Law Library Periodicals Per.U5834

Government Websites
Federal

EEOC http://www.eeoc.gov
Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov
Employment Law Guide (Department of Labor) http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/index.htm
OSHA http://www.osha.gov
Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov
National Labor Relations Board http://www.nlrb.gov

Minnesota

Minnesota Dept. of Labor and Industry http://www.doli.state.mn.us
Minnesota Dept. of Employee Relations http://www.doer.state.mn.us
Minnesota Dept. of Human Rights http://www.humanrights.state.mn.us/

Links verified 4/26/2008

Table of Contents

Introduction

Primary Sources

Looseleaf Services

Secondary Sources