Labor Pains: What’s Wrong with American Labor Law and How to Fix It

Labor Pains: What’s Wrong with American Labor Law and How to Fix It

Labor Pains: What’s Wrong with American Labor Law is a searing examination of the cracks in America’s labor system — and the human cost of laws that fail to protect the very people they were designed to serve. From the doctrine of “at‑will” employment to the erosion of collective bargaining rights, Darren Hendricks exposes how legal distortions have left millions of workers vulnerable to wage theft, job insecurity, inadequate benefits, and unsafe conditions. Drawing on history, law, and lived experience, Labor Pains reveals how these systemic failures create not only economic precarity but also profound emotional distress, shaping families, communities, and the nation itself. This book is not just critique — it is a call to action. Hendricks outlines a “Reform Codex,” a blueprint for a just labor future inspired by international standards and rooted in the moral imperative of dignity at work. Accessible, urgent, and deeply human, Labor Pains is for workers, organizers, policymakers, and anyone who believes that labor law should serve as a true protector of the working person.