DOL to Increase FLSA Investigations

By: Paul Cherner

The U.S. General Accounting Office (”GAO”) recently issued a scathing report about the DOL’s handling of FLSA investigations. The title of the report is “Wage and Hour Division’s Complaint Intake and Investigative Processes Leave Low Wage Workers Vulnerable to Wage Theft.”

In response, the new DOL Secretary, Hilda Solis, issued a News Release stating that she takes the issues raised by the GAO report seriously and will be hiring 250 new field investigators to refocus their efforts on enforcement of wage-hour laws. This is a one-third increase in that investigative staff. Employers can anticipate more vigorous enforcement of those laws and should prepare now by conducting an audit of their compliance with the FLSA.

Paul Cherner is a labor and employment lawyer in Chicago, IL. Visit his blog at http://hrcounselblog.com.

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