On Tuesday, the United States Department of Labor announced that its Wage and Hour Division is seeking to add 100 investigators to its team to support its enforcement efforts including the protection of workers’ wages, migrant and seasonal workers, rights to family and medical leave and prevailing wage requirements for workers on federal contracts.
Investigator responsibilities include the following:
- Conducting investigations to determine if employers are paying workers and affording them their rights as the law requires.
- Helping ensure that law-abiding employers are not undercut by employers who violate the law.
- Promoting compliance through outreach and public education initiatives.
- Supporting efforts to combat worker retaliation and worker misclassification as independent contractors.
In fiscal year 2021, the Wage and Hour Division collected $230 million in wages owed to 190,000 workers. Division representatives also conducted 4,700 outreach events to educate employers and workers alike about their workplace rights and responsibilities.