Department Of Labor Case Studies From Ongoing Work Show Examples In Which Wage And Hour Division Did Not Pursue Labor Violations

Department of Labor: Case Studies from Ongoing Work Show Examples in Which Wage and Hour Division Did Not Pursue Labor Violations

Over 100 million workers are protected through the Dept. of Labor¿s enforcement of labor laws. The Wage and Hour Div. (WHD) enforces provisions that ensure workers are paid at least the fed. minimum wage and for overtime. According to the Dept. of Labor, investigations range from comprehensive investigations to conciliations, which consist primarily of phone calls to a complainant¿s employer. This testimony highlights findings from an ongoing investigation of WHD¿s process for investigating and resolving wage and hour complaints. This testimony will report on cases that have been identified that shows inadequate WHD investigations of complaints. Illustrations.

Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division¿s Complaint Intake and Investigative Process Leave Low Wage Workers Vulnerable to Wage Theft

The mission of the Dept. of Labor's Wage and Hour Div. (WHD) includes enforcing provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which ensures that millions of workers are paid the fed. minimum wage and overtime. Investigations range from comprehensive investigations to conciliations, which consist primarily of phone calls to a complainant's employer. This testimony highlights an investigation regarding 15 case studies where WHD failed to investigate complaints. Kutz was asked to: (1) test WHD's complaint intake process in an undercover capacity; (2) provide additional case study examples of inadequate WHD responses to complaints; and (3) assess the effectiveness of WHD's complaint intake process, conciliations, and other investigative tools. Illus.

GAO's Undercover Investigation