Employment Standards Administration
Encyclopedia
The Employment Standards Administration (ESA), was the largest agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. Its four subagencies enforced and administerered laws governing legally mandated wage
s and working conditions, including child labor, minimum wage
s, overtime pay
, and family and medical leave
; equal employment opportunity
in businesses with federal contracts and subcontracts; workers' compensation
for certain employees injured on their jobs; internal union democracy, financial integrity, and union elections, which protect the rights of union members; and other laws and regulations governing employment standards and practices.
The ESA was eliminated on November 8, 2009. As of that date, ESA's four subagencies are now independent and report directly to the United states Secretary of Labor.
Wage
A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
s and working conditions, including child labor, minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
s, overtime pay
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
, and family and medical leave
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a United States federal law requiring covered employers to provide employees job-protected unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons. These reasons include personal or family illness, military service, family military leave, pregnancy,...
; equal employment opportunity
Equal Opportunity Employment
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first federal law designed to protect most U.S. employees from employment discrimination based upon that employee's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin . The Title also established the U.S...
in businesses with federal contracts and subcontracts; workers' compensation
Workers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
for certain employees injured on their jobs; internal union democracy, financial integrity, and union elections, which protect the rights of union members; and other laws and regulations governing employment standards and practices.
The ESA was eliminated on November 8, 2009. As of that date, ESA's four subagencies are now independent and report directly to the United states Secretary of Labor.
See also
- Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
- Office of Labor-Management Standards
- Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
- Wage and Hour DivisionWage and Hour DivisionThe Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor is the federal office responsible for enforcing federal labor laws. The Division was formed with the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938...