the development of employee benefits in the US

In reviewing the development of employee benefits in the US, we stated that legally required benefits resulted from the notion that employers would not provide fair and equitable treatment to their employees without being legally required to do so. Yet most companies do provide very comprehensive discretionary benefits to their employees. How do you reconcile this apparent contradiction? Your response should differentiate between legally required and discretionary benefits and the role that they play in providing coverage to employees. (A 1-page response is required.)In addition, you must appropriately cite all resources used in your responses and document in a bibliography using APA style.