Employment labor laws, also known as "employment laws," include a wide range of issues. These issues include employment contracts, tort and contract issues, and regulations regarding issues relating to the employee's right to organize with a union, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, discrimination protection, wages and hours issues and health and safety in the workplace. Employment labor laws are both federal and state based. Not all employment labor laws are required by all employees. Whether the employment labor law is applicable depends upon the requirements of the particular law; therefore, it is necessary to review the individual law regarding the matter and ascertain if the employer falls within the ambit of applicability. Some common federal employment labor laws include the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, also known as "ERISA." State laws often mimic the requirements of the federal law and contain similar provisions. Federal employment labor laws are enforced by the United States Department of Labor Failure to comply with federal labor laws may result in significant financial penalties and in some instances, criminal penalties