Final answer:
The act referred to broadly covers various worker protection laws, including the setting of minimum wages, prohibiting child labor, ensuring health and safety regulations, preventing discrimination, and requiring family leave among many others, to secure a fair and just working environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The act to prescribe and regulate working conditions, detailing the duties of employers and employees concerning places and conditions of employment, encompasses a range of legislative measures. These measures have been put into place to ensure the safety, fairness, and equitable treatment of workers. Some key points include:
- Setting minimum hourly wages to ensure fair compensation for work.
- Defining maximum hours of work before overtime rates apply.
- Prohibiting child labor to prevent exploitation of young individuals.
- Regulating health and safety conditions in the workplace through acts such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), which mandates that employers inform their workers of potential hazards and maintain safe working environments.
- Preventing discrimination on numerous grounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age.
- Requiring employers to provide family leave, ensuring that employees can tend to family matters without fear of losing their jobs.
- Provisions for workers' rights to organize and to collectively bargain, as seen in the passage of the Wagner Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Legislation such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) also plays a crucial role in safeguarding workers' condition by setting and enforcing workplace standards.