Department of Labor

The Department of Labor (DOL) is a federal government agency in the United States responsible for promoting and improving working conditions, protecting workers’ rights, and enforcing labor laws. The agency was established in 1913 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The Department of Labor has several divisions and programs that oversee various aspects of labor policy and enforcement. Some of its main divisions include the Wage and Hour Division, which enforces minimum wage and overtime laws; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces workplace safety standards; and the Employment and Training Administration, which provides job training and unemployment benefits.

The DOL also collects and publishes data on employment and labor market trends, including information on job growth, wages, and working conditions. Additionally, the agency is responsible for enforcing a range of federal labor laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Overall, the Department of Labor plays a key role in protecting workers’ rights and ensuring that workplaces are safe, fair, and equitable.

 

 

Child Labor Is on the Rise as Republicans See an Answer to Labor Shortages
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Child Labor Is on the Rise as Republicans See an Answer to Labor Shortages

A grim truth underlies U.S. industry: the appalling practice of child labor, widely perceived as an anachronism, is far from a thing of the sooty industrial past. U.S. consumers may have a hazy sense that children labor somewhere in foreign sweatshops to manufacture their goods — but such faraway tragedies are too easily forgotten at…

Owner of Boston Pizzeria Chain Arrested on Forced Labor Charges – Department of Justice
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Owner of Boston Pizzeria Chain Arrested on Forced Labor Charges – Department of Justice

BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza was arrested this morning on forced labor charges for allegedly employing a victim who lacked immigration status and forcing him to work for years while threatening him with deportation and subjecting him to repeated verbal and physical abuse.   Stavros Papantoniadis, a/k/a “Steve Papantoniadis,” 47, of Westwood, was…

Massachusetts pizza shop owner arrested for forced labor charge
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Massachusetts pizza shop owner arrested for forced labor charge

BOSTON (WWLP) – The owner of a Boston pizzeria chain was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly forcing an employee that lacked immigration status to work, threatening him with deportation as well as verbal and physical abuse. Stavros Papantoniadis, 47, of Westwood, owner of Stash’s Pizza, has been charged with one count of forced labor. He…

URI professor discusses worsening child labor in the United States
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URI professor discusses worsening child labor in the United States

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 13, 2023 -In recent weeks, the issue of child labor in the United States – particularly among migrant children – has come under new scrutiny. In mid-February, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a release detailing a $1.5 million penalty paid by Packers Sanitation Services Inc., one of the largest food…

Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune
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Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune

Roberto Jacobo is an immigrant who estimates he lost $90,000 in income over 15 years as a home remodeler because his employers did not pay him his owed overtime or prevailing wage on jobs. For years he stayed quiet, afraid his employers would retaliate because he is an immigrant. Then he decided enough is enough…

Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise
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Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise

Roberto Jacobo is an immigrant who estimates he lost $90,000 in income over 15 years as a home remodeler because his employers did not pay him his owed overtime or prevailing wage on jobs. For years he stayed quiet, afraid his employers would retaliate because he is an immigrant. Then he decided enough is enough…

Feds Crack Down on Illegal Child Labor: What You Need to Know – JD Supra
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Feds Crack Down on Illegal Child Labor: What You Need to Know – JD Supra

The Biden Administration recently announced a new initiative to investigate and enforce violations of child labor laws. Significantly, the crackdown will include more aggressive investigations of and accountability for companies benefiting from illegal child labor, even if those companies do not employ the children directly. The federal child labor laws, which were authorized by the…

Child labor law reductions might become Iowa's solution to labor shortages
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Child labor law reductions might become Iowa's solution to labor shortages

Child labor bills in Iowa might grease the skids for human trafficking but that’s not apparently a concern for sponsors. The approach for changes in child labor in Iowa is to allow employment by those who are underage in prohibited jobs so long as the employment is part of a training program. Children under the…

Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16 goes to Sanders' desk
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Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16 goes to Sanders' desk

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – A proposed Arkansas law that would remove the requirement for children under 16 to prove their age to get a job will head to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk for approval. House Bill 1410, or the Youth Hiring Act, would delete the portion of existing law that requires an employment certificate…

New York is going to crack down on child labor law violations
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New York is going to crack down on child labor law violations

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that her administration is launching a comprehensive effort to address child labor violations in the state. This move comes in response to a sharp increase in reported violations last year, which saw a 68% spike. To combat this problem, Governor Hochul is creating a task force that will work…