If your company does business in Alabama, then you need to design a training program for your HR staff to ensure that they know Alabama employee laws and can translate those laws into effective employment management strategies. As in every other state, Alabama's labor laws stem from the statutes passed by its own legislature as well as regulations imposed by federal employment law.

As you design an Alabama labor and employment law education and training program, be sure to include the following resources:

1. Learn how to search for AL labor laws in official documents.

2. Further your study of Alabama labor laws by reading commentaries and legal updates that professional law firms make available.

3. Advance your training in Alabama employment law by attending informative and timely seminars.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Search for the full text version of any Alabama labor law

Give your HR staff a fundamental understanding of state law when you show them how to search for actual statutes in the many AL labor law resources.

I recommend: Learn first-hand about child labor laws in Alabama at the State of Alabama Department of Labor website and from Labor Law Talk. Search the database of labor statutes at the Alabama State Legislature website. Access the Alabama Workforce Development Report and other statistics labor-related statistics from the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

Study recent articles and online commentaries by Alabama employment lawyers

Enhance your employees' Alabama employment law educational opportunities by encouraging them to search for informative online sources. Law firms and legal research companies monitor recent opinions handed down from federal courts and Alabama state courts that further define the duties employers and employees owe to each other.

I recommend: Read articles on E L Infonet.com that explain Alabama's jury duty law. Sign up for the Alabama Law Employment Letter on HR Hero so that you'll stay informed of Alabama court decisions and changes to federal and state labor laws that affect employee management in Alabama. Alabama attorney Adam M. Porter maintains a website that provides easy answers to the most frequently asked questions about the state's employment laws, such as whether all discrimination is illegal and the statute of limitations for lawsuits brought by disgruntled employees. Lawyers.com publishes an employee handbook explaining the concept of at-will employment, an employment policy that Alabama businesses adopt.

Register for seminars on Alabama work laws

Guarantee the success of your staff's Alabama labor and employment law education and training program when you motivate them to build relationships with key professionals in the labor law field at seminars and other events.

I recommend: Go to Training and Seminars for a list of seminars on employment law that are held in Montgomery, Alabama. Check the Balch & Bingham firm's website for information on the Birmingham Labor and Employment Law Seminar. Register at Find A Seminar for the "Employment Laws Made Simple" presentation.

Labor laws in Alabama help employers protect their businesses through compliance with safety standards, fair hiring practices and work environment. Alabama labor and employment labor law helps both employers and employees have better working relationships in a more productive environment.

Alabama labor and employment law makes working better for everyone. Labor law, although originally intended to improve working conditions for laborers, boosts business owner’s bottom line by increased productivity.

Alabama labor laws deal with job safety, employee foreman ratios, break time, lunch time and safety standards within the work environment. Updated Alabama labor laws meet the demand of new technology and constantly changing work requirements. Understand and comply with Alabama employee laws to:

1. Stay in compliance with changes to Alabama state labor and employment law.

2. Provide productive work environments for employees through Alabama employment law.

3. Protect your business from frivolous lawsuits.

4. Keep productivity high.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Display Alabama employment law posters in easy to read locations around your facility

Keeping employees informed of their rights and responsibilities under employment law in Alabama keeps them empowered. Alabama labor law posters provide the latest updates or changes in labor law in Alabama.

I recommend: GovDocs and LaborLawCenter carry up to date government recommended Alabama employment law posters for display around your facility.

Protect yourself and your employees by keeping up to date on Alabama labor laws

The only way to guard your company from frivolous lawsuits and keep employees happy is to promote a safe work environment and understand your rights as an employer. Keeping up to date on changes to current laws and how the effect your particular company is vital to a healthy work environment.

I recommend: Visit the FAQ page of the Alabama rules and regulations page of the State of Alabama Department of Labor website for quick answers to labor law questions and links to more information. Consider attending the yearly labor management conference, click on "View Invitation," for training in and understanding of Alabama labor laws.

Increase productivity by going above and beyond required state of Alabama work laws

Alabama employment law, as in any state, gives guidelines and requirements for what the state considers a safe working environment. Going above the minimum requirements to keep employees happy is a great way to increase their overall productivity.

I recommend: Visit the US Department of Labor for Alabama labor contact information and access to AL labor law resources. HRhero.com is a subscription service offering the latest updates to state by state employment law.

Find Alabama employment lawyers from an Alabama employment laws firm

Employment law attorneys from Alabama employment law firms help clients understand Alabama employment law. Labor lawyers in Alabama from Alabama employment law firms keep clients informed and in compliance with the latest changes and updates to Alabama employment law.

I recommend: Ogletree Deakins and Maynard, Cooper and Gale, P.C., both of Birmingham, specialize in labor and employment issues in Alabama.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Discuss changes to AL labor laws with your union representative. If you are a non union business, be sure someone in your Human Resources department is in charge of all employment law related issues.
• •  Post Alabama labor laws posters anywhere employees tend to congregate or spend time on breaks. Conference rooms, break rooms, lunch rooms and near time clocks are all great places to for labor law posters.

Alabama labor and employment law basics allow employees to be paid what they deserve and employers to protect their businesses. The primary purpose of these laws is to level the playing field between employees and their employers.

AL labor laws grant specific rights to collective bargaining organizations, also know as labor unions. Federal laws also control the rights of laborers to organize and generally take precedence over Alabama's state labor laws. Specific classes of employees, such as domestic workers or agricultural laborers, are generally exempted from federal labor laws. Labor and employment law generally may be categorized into the following three groups:

1. Alabama employment law that deal with wages and benefits. Many states provide a minimum wage that is greater than the federal minimum wage. Alabama laws also may offer other protections to workers that are greater than those specified by federal law.
2. Laws on displaying labor law posters. Alabama has specific requirements on the display of labor and employment laws in the workplace.
3. Workers compensation insurance. Alabama also has laws that specify the amount of insurance that employers must carry in the event that their employees are injured at work.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about Alabama employee laws that regulate minimum wage and overtime

According to Alabama labor law, businesses must pay their employees the federal minimum wage. Overtime laws generally control what an employee should be paid after 40 hours of work in the same week.

I recommend: The State of Alabama Department of Labor answers basic questions on labor laws in Alabama, including the minimum wage. The Alabama Farmers Federation provides information, such as the minimum wage for agricultural workers in Alabama.

Find out how to display posters on Alabama contract labor law

Alabama labor law posters keep employees informed of their rights and obligations under federal and state labor laws. Employers must display these posters in the workplace in a visible location where they are easy to read.

I recommend: All About OSHA provides the state and federal posting requirements for employment and labor laws in Alabama. All In One Posters lists the contents for combined state and federal labor law posters for Alabama.

Provide workers' compensation insurance required by Alabama labor laws

Workers' compensation insurance in Alabama protects employees and their families in the event of injury or death of an employee while on the job. Government websites, insurance agencies and labor lawyers in Alabama commonly have basic information on workers compensation.

I recommend: Burge & Burge practices employment law in Alabama and provides a FAQ on workers compensation insurance. Bohanan & Associates specializes in Alabama employment law and offers extensive information on the laws regarding workers compensation insurance in Alabama.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Alabama child labor law is guided by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. This federal legislation establishes minimum wages for most workers, along with specific exceptions. The FLSA was amended in 1974 to cover government employees.

Alabama labor and employment law news and trends are of great interest to attorneys who practice employment law in Alabama. Employment law attorneys must keep track of the frequent changes in the law that relate to unions and laborers in Alabama. They also need to be familiar with the many procedures and forms related to labor and employment law that may change at any time. Attorneys also need to know what the public thinks about rulings on labor and employment law in Alabama. All of these highly volatile factors can change the way attorneys in labor law do their jobs.

News on Alabama work laws generally may be grouped according to the source of information. These include following three categories:

1. Independent sources of news on Alabama contract labor law. They provide opinions, as well as hard news, on labor law from many different businesses, individuals and lobby groups. Independent news sources typically consist of blogs, magazines and newspapers.
2. Websites from the Alabama state government. These sites provide official procedures and rulings on Alabama labor law.
3. Labor lawyers. Attorneys that practice labor and employment law in Alabama frequently have inside news on labor law in Alabama.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Study independent sources of news and trends on AL labor laws

News organizations frequently report on legislative updates on Alabama labor and employment law. Individuals also may keep blogs and journals on labor law in Alabama.

I recommend: The West Alabama Labor Council provides recent news stories on labor law in Alabama. The Business Council of Alabama has a summary of a recent labor law bill in Alabama called the Employee Free Choice Act.

Review state websites to get official news and other information on Alabama labor laws

Alabama government websites are the best places to get the latest news about Alabama labor and employment law. An Alabama website also may publish the state statutes to help attorneys stay informed on the latest legislation that relates to Alabama labor and employment law.

I recommend: The State of Alabama Department of Labor offers the latest news updates on employment and labor law in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Industrial Relations provides important news on unemployment in Alabama, such as workers' compensation laws.

Get inside news on employment laws from Alabama employment lawyers

Alabama lawyers who practice labor and employment law frequently have information on Alabama law that is not available elsewhere. These attorneys may publish newsletters or full length articles on a particular aspect of labor and employment law in Alabama.

I recommend: Balch & Bingham is located in Alabama and provides regular updates on labor laws in Alabama. Ogletree Deakins publishes a newsletter dedicated to employment law topics in Alabama.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Alabama employment law is generally guided by federal law, which set the standard work week to 40 hours in 1950. However, some lines of work may be an exception to the 40 hour work week maximum. For example, seasonal work, such as harvesting crops, can require laborers to work 72 hours in a week.