Protective Laws for Government Employees

Equal Opportunity Act of 1972

Employers do not have the right to hire on a discriminatory basis. This law prohibits employers, at any level, from discriminating based upon race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Employees are also granted the right to sue their employer if this right has been violated. Employees across the nation, even those in non-government jobs, have this right.

Fair Labor Standards Act

The FLSA ensures that all employees, regardless of position, receive fair working conditions. This includes a federal minimum wage, weekly hourly working limits, age restrictions, and more. Overtime is a common conflict found among federal employees. Please contact a federal employment law attorney if you have specific questions regarding overtime.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883

This act enforces that all federal employees are chosen and supervised by merit, and not any other factor that may affect their working environment, such as political patronage or affiliation. Government workers cannot be fired based upon political affiliation with another party, making it more difficult for government employees to be discriminated against or affected by their beliefs or allegiances.

President Biden’s Executive Order

At the beginning of his term, President Joe Biden signed an executive order protecting the federal workforce. This included disbanding certain groups, such as the Interagency Labor Relations Working Group, as well as modifying already-existing acts like the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. He also instilled a $15-an-hour minimum wage for federal employees to ensure that they are being compensated fairly for their work.

Federal employment lawyers can help you better understand the myriad of different protections in place for government workers. As time continues, we can only hope that even more measures are put in place to protect our federal workforce. However, it is still rather difficult to find this information on your own. If you need help regarding your government job, please contact Martzen Law today.