Your rights / Tennessee
Tennessee: your rights at work
What Tennessee law adds on top of federal law for nurses and EMS, and who to call.
Every rule here was read on the statute, regulation or agency page it cites. Checked November 10, 2026.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change and your facts decide how they apply. Before you act, confirm with the agency listed here or with an employment lawyer or your union representative.
Who to call in Tennessee
State labor agencyWe have not confirmed a state wage-complaint route for Tennessee on the state's own site. The U.S. Department of Labor below handles federal wage law; for a rule set by Tennessee law, contact the state labor department directly.
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionUnpaid wages and overtime, PUMP Act, FMLA.
Contact · 1-866-487-9243
Contact · 1-866-487-9243
OSHAPrivate-employer safety complaints, and retaliation for raising safety (30 days under the OSH Act). Public employees: see Unions and public employers.
Contact
Contact
Federal law still applies
For Tennessee we have not yet confirmed state rules on mandatory overtime, staffing ratios, plans and committees, final paycheck, meal and rest breaks. That does not mean Tennessee has no rule on them: we leave a topic off until we have read it at the source, and only federal rules are shown for it here.
Federal rules apply in Tennessee too:
- Pay and hours: Am I being paid for all my time?
- Mandatory overtime and staffing: Can they make me stay, or give me that many patients?
- Travel and contract work: What does my contract or agency status change?
- Speaking up and safety: Can I be punished for speaking up?
- Leave, injury and accommodation: Can I take time off and keep my job?
- Unions and public employers: I work for a county, city or union shop. What is different?