Tarlton Law Library: Employment Law & Discrimination: Home

Introduction

This research guide focuses on federal and Texas employment law and discrimination, with some labor law resources covered in passing.

In general, when researching a topic within a substantive area of the law, one should start with secondary sources to find the leading and most relevant primary law. Once you have some citations in hand, look them up in primary sources. Be sure to check out the current awareness resources so that you stay abreast of developments throughout your research. See the library's guide to the legal research process for a more general overview.

Please note, access to certain databases linked in this guide may be restricted to UT Law or the UT community; please see the library's Databases page that lays out access privileges.

Navigating Tarlton's Collection

Whether seeking print or online materials, here are some tips for using TALLONS, the online catalog:

Helpful call number ranges:

K 1701 - 1841 (Int'l and comparative labor and employment law)
KF 3301 - 3580 (U.S. labor and employment law)
KFT 1531 - 1542 (Texas labor and employment law)

Helpful subject headings:

Selected Government Websites

Texas Workforce Commission
Among other things, the Labor Law Section of the TWC administers the Texas Payday Law and the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division (TWCCRD) enforces the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, (TCHRA).
U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section
Enforces against state and local government employers federal laws prohibiting employment practices that discriminate on grounds of race, sex, religion, and national origin. The Section also enforces against state and local government employers and private employers the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.
U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL)
Administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws.
U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making.
U.S. Dept. of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
Responsible for enforcing federal labor laws, including the minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, child labor and special employment, family and medical leave, migrant workers, lie detector tests, worker protections in certain temporary worker programs, and the prevailing wages for government service and construction contracts.
U.S. Dept. of Labor Wage and Hour Division: Family and Medical Leave Act
The FMLA is administered by the Wage and Hour Division within the U.S. Department of Labor.
U.S. Dept. of Labor Women's Bureau
U.S. Dept. of Labor's Enforcement Data
An aggregation of enforcement datasets from 5 separate agency systems (OSHA, MSHA, OFCCP, WHD, and EBSA) from 1995 to date.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
An independent federal agency that promotes equal opportunity in employment through administrative and judicial enforcement of the federal civil rights laws.

Employment Law Organizations & Resources

ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
From the University of Michigan Law School, collects documents and information from civil rights cases across the U.S., including on the issue of equal employment.
Cornell University ILR [Industrial and Labor Relations] School
ILR is grounded in the social sciences and studies many areas, including labor-management relations; international and comparative labor; labor relations, labor law and history; conflict resolution; employment and disability; and social statistics. ILR centers include Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) and Institute for Compensation Studies (ICS).
CPR's Crimes Against Workers Database
Information about state criminal cases and grassroots advocacy campaigns against employers responsible for crimes against workers. From Center for Progressive Reform.
Employee Rights Advocacy Institute for Law & Policy
Founded by the National Employment Lawyers Association, The Institute's mission is to advocate for employee rights by advancing equality and justice in the American workplace.
Equal Employment Advisory Council
Nonprofit employer association founded in 1976 to provide guidance to its member companies on understanding and complying with their EEO and affirmative action obligations. Advocacy portion of website includes amicus briefs and regulatory comments.
Fe y Justicia Worker Center
Place for low-wage workers to learn about their rights in the workplace, and organize to improve working conditions on the job.
Interfaith Worker Justice
Religious organization that seeks to educate, organize, and mobilize the religious community in the U.S. on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers.
International Labour Organization (ILO)
UN agency responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards. Offers statistics and databases on varied topics, including employment law, comparing countries across the globe.
National Academy of Arbitrators
Founded in 1947 as a not-for-profit that decides thousands of labor and employment arbitration cases each year in private industry, the public sector and non-profits in the US and Canada.
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
Organization that works on civil rights, as well as labor rights, for day laborers.
National Employment Law Council
Organization to facilitate the enrichment of the minority bar in the practice of representing management in labor and employment issues.
National Employment Law Institute
A non-profit continuing legal education organization for employment and labor attorneys.
National Employment Law Project
Promotes policies and programs that create jobs, strengthen upward mobility, enforce worker rights, and help unemployed workers regain their economic footing through improved benefits and services.
National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
Advances employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace.
State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section
UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
Consists of four units: the IRLE Academic Unit, the Center for Labor Research and Education (Labor Center), the Human Resource Round Table (HARRT), and the Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH), which is also affiliated with the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health.
Workers Defense Project
Austin-based organization that empowers low-income workers to achieve fair employment through education, direct services, organizing, and strategic partnerships.

Additional Research Guides & Libraries

Cornell University ILR [Industrial and Labor Relations] School Catherwood Library
Supports education and research in nearly every aspect of the workplace. The Library also houses the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives.
Federalist Society's Bibliography
A list of conservative and libertarian legal scholarship in labor and employment law.
Specialized Legal Research - Penny A. Hazelton
U.S. Dept. of Labor's Wirtz Labor Library
Provides members of the general public with access to both historically significant and current resources pertaining to labor.
World of Work and Labor Law Bibliography (2013)
By Patrick O'Donnell, Dept. Philosophy, Santa Barbara City College

Mobile Apps

DOL Timesheet
iPhone app to record the hours that you work and calculate the amount you may be owed by your employer. It also includes overtime pay calculations at a rate of one and one-half times (1.5) the regular rate of pay for all hours you work over 40 in a workweek.
Labor Stats Application
Presents the most up-to-date numbers and news releases for the following statistics published by Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Wage and Hour Guide for Employers
Puts federal wage-hour laws and those of many states (including California, Illinois, New York, and Texas) at the fingertips of employers. From the firm of Epstein Becker Green.
Fisher & Phillips FMLA Leave App
iOS and Android app that helps employers calculate certain FMLA leaves of absence.

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Employment Law & Discrimination