>US labor laws are very weak. It's part of this whole "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" culture.
>
>I think that's very open to debate. Between specific labor laws, and certain acts that make after-the-fact remedies possible, there are over 200 laws/acts on the books. Keep in mind that categories such as FMLA laws are under the heading of labor laws.
>
>As for salaries employees, certainly most of the time they don't get OT - however, there are exemption status tests that make it possible in some cases. (I actually was in one, back in 1994, though in retrospect it was a bad scenario)

I think we're the only industrialized country that doesn't mandate some paid vacation and some paid sick leave. Most people are employed "at will" and have very little protection from losing their jobs randomly.

I don't think most of us even think about these things until a particular issue comes up.

Tamar