euqalibrium
The employer.
who sets the standards for work place competency
They were paid equal wages compared to their male counterparts.
There are no laws. Each company sets their own rules and most of them state no drinking on the job.
Not usually, but they do need to know workplace law in regards to Wages and Hours, Sexual Harrassment, and Discrimination.
They formed unions and other organizations like the knights of labor for instance to fight for better workplace and higher wages etc.
My behaviour in the workplace is important because it sets the tone for the working environment. If I am loud and combative with colleagues then the working environment becomes stressful and every day becomes a battle to be fought and won.
The Department of Labor (DOL) is the organization in which is located the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). So an agency of DOL sets the minimum requirements for workplace safety in the US.
The employer is obligated to bargain with the Union over wages, hours, and other terms/conditions of employment
Yes, Workman's Compensation provides disability payments for loss of wages due to a workplace injury.
Economic conflicts at a workplace more often then not are about the wages and benefits that employees receive from their employer. A union representing the workers is a common way to solve these types of problems. Also, a company on its own, in addition to union agreements can award bonuses to its best workers.
In the Civil War, the Union was simply the name for the North - that is, those parts of the USA that had not seceded. I don't think there was much collective bargaining in the workplace.