<P> A great variety of statutes have been enacted in the various states relating to the labour contract . Among these are laws defining the labour contract, requiring notice of termination of contract, making it a misdemeanour to break a contract of service and thereby endanger human life or expose valuable property to serious injury, or to make a contract of service and accept transportation or pecuniary advancements with intent to defraud, prohibiting contracts of employment whereby employees waive the right to damages in case of injury, &c . A Federal statute makes it a misdemeanour for any one to prepay the transportation or in any way assist or encourage the importation of aliens under contract to perform labour or service of any kind in the United States, exceptions being made in the case of skilled labour that cannot otherwise be obtained, domestic servants and persons belonging to any of the recognized professions . </P> <P> The Federal government and nearly all the states and territories have statutory provisions requiring the examination and licensing of persons practising certain trades other than those in the class of recognized professions . The Federal statute relates only to engineers on steam vessels, masters, mates, pilots, &c . The occupations for which examinations and licences are required by the various state laws are those of barbers, horseshoers, elevator operators, plumbers, stationary firemen, steam engineers, telegraph operators on railroads and certain classes of mine workers and steam and street railway employees . </P> <P> The right of combination and peaceable assembly on the part of employees is recognized at common law throughout the United States . Organizations of working - men formed for their mutual benefit, protection and improvement, such for endeavouring to secure higher wages, as ggg shorter hours of labour or better working conditions, are nowhere regarded as unlawful . A number of states and the Federal government have enacted statutes providing for the incorporation of trade unions, but owing to the freedom from regulation or inspection enjoyed by unincorporated trade unions, very few have availed themselves of this privilege . A number of states have enacted laws tending to give special protection to and encourage trade unions . Thus, nearly one - half of the states have passed acts declaring it unlawful for employers to discharge workmen for joining labour organizations, or to make it a condition of employment that they shall not belong to such bodies . Laws of this kind have generally been held to be unconstitutional . Nearly all the states have laws protecting trade unions in the use of the union label, insignia of membership, credentials, &c., and making it a misdemeanour to counterfeit or fraudulently use them . A number of the states exempt labour organizations from the operations of the anti-trust and insurance acts . </P> <P> Until recent years all legal action concerning labour disturbances was based upon the principles of the common law . </P>

When was a first time weekly holiday was introduced in factories