USDOL Secretary Solis Announces Hiring of 250 New Wage and Hour Investigators
Yesterday, USDOL Secretary Hilda Solis announced that USDOL has hired 250 new Wage and Hour investigators. The hiring will result in a 33% increase in investigative staff which, no doubt, will herald more investigations. As the Secretary’s press release stated, “America’s workers should rest assured that protecting worker rights is a top priority at the Department of Labor.”
In addition, the USDOL announced that it will roll out a new public awareness program in 2010 called “We Can Help.” The new program is intended to alert workers and advocacy groups to the USDOL’s ability to assist in enforcing the wage and hour laws. As the Secretary stated: “The department will work closely with advocacy groups and other stakeholders to ensure that the materials developed for the campaign reach the workers who need them. We will not rest until the law is followed by every employer, and each worker is treated and compensated fairly.”
In the past three months alone, the USDOL’s enforcement of wage and hour laws has resulted in the collection of over $2 million dollars in wages for over 500 workers. With a 33% increase in staff and a new public awareness campaign, one can easily forecast that employers will see even more enforcement activity next year. The full text of the USDOL announcement can be found here: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/whd20091452.htm