There is no single definition or definitive list of workers’ rights. The International Labor Organization (ILO) identifies what it calls “fundamental principles and rights at work” that all ILO Members have an obligation to respect and promote, which are:

• freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

• elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor;

• effective abolition of child labor; and

• elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

The ILO has adopted—and supervises the application of—international labor conventions in each of these areas. Other important ILO standards deal with conditions of work, including occupational safety and health, wages, and hours of work, but these standards are not considered fundamental or core conventions.

United States trade law adds acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health to that list, calling them “internationally recognized labor rights.”

In the United States, federal law provides minimum standards or rights for workers regarding occupational safety and health, wages, family and medical leave, and hours of work. And many states have laws that protect workers as well. When state laws provide workers with greater protections than the applicable federal law the state law is not preempted or superseded by the federal law and workers are entitled to those greater rights and protections.

In Oklahoma, workers' rights are governed by a combination of federal law and state statutes. Federal law sets minimum standards for occupational safety and health (OSHA), wages (Fair Labor Standards Act), family and medical leave (FMLA), and hours of work. Oklahoma state law may offer additional protections, and when it does, these protections are not superseded by federal law. For instance, Oklahoma has its own standards for minimum wage and working conditions that complement federal regulations. The state also upholds the fundamental principles and rights at work as identified by the International Labor Organization (ILO), including freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced labor and child labor, and non-discrimination in employment. While the ILO's core conventions are not binding, the United States trade law recognizes additional labor rights concerning minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health as 'internationally recognized labor rights.' Workers in Oklahoma are entitled to the greater protections provided by either state or federal law, depending on which law offers more extensive rights in a particular area.