# Presentation: 512611

## Wage and Hour Division Compliance Assistance Programs

**Office of External Affairs**
**Wage and Hour Division**
**U.S. Department of Labor**
**August 2005**

## Wage and Hour Division – Our Mission

**Promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the Nation's workforce **
- Laws administered by WHD cover 7 million businesses and 130 million workers
- Employees are entitled to the protections of laws enforced by WHD even if they are here in the U.S. without proper documentation

**Notes:**
By Congressional mandate, WHD enforces a number of employment laws (FLSA, MSPA, FMLA, etc.).  

Our mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce.

All employees working in the U.S. are entitled to protections of laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division.

Facing the challenges introduced by diminishing resources and a growing immigrant population, it is vital that WHD employ an effective strategy for realizing our mission.

## Approaches for Improving Compliance

- _WHD Mission_
- “Promote and achieve
-  compliance with labor
- standards to protect  and
- enhance the welfare
- of the Nation’s
- workforce”

- Compliance
- Assistance

- Enforcement

- Collaboration
- & Compliance
- Partnerships

- Public
- Awareness

**Notes:**
WHD has various approaches for promoting and achieving compliance.
Approaches have been in place for several years.
Emphasis on one or two particular strategies may be adjusted, but these strategies are the anchors for the organization.
Compliance assistance is an agency priority and is viewed as a complementing strategy to enforcement.

## Compliance Assistance – A WHD Priority

- Secretary of Labor priority
- One of WHD’s strategic priorities
- Promotes voluntary compliance

**Notes:**
As previously mentioned, Secretary Chao has demonstrated her commitment to compliance assistance by establishing a separate office to oversee and coordinate all the individual agencies’ efforts.

Given the number of employers covered by the laws administered by WHD and WHD’s resources, it is estimated that WHD could only investigate an employer once every 175 years.  Voluntary compliance is critical.

## Increased Awareness

**Many violations occur due to lack of knowledge**
- _FY 2005 Goal_: Improve public awareness of WHD laws and processes by:
- Increasing availability of information
- Increasing effectiveness of compliance assistance activities

**Notes:**
In order to protect workers, there must be more emphasis on preventing violations of labor laws.  

Throughout years of enforcement (FLSA passed in 1938), WHD has found that many violations occur because employers lack knowledge of labor law requirements, and employees lack knowledge of their rights.  

Each year, WHD spends about 10% of its resources on compliance and technical assistance, with the goal of improving public awareness of WHD laws and processes.  We accomplish this by:

Increasing the availability of information
Website
Publications
Online Presentations/Training Modules (identify)
Compliance Assistance Materials in languages other than English (# and type)
Increasing the effectiveness of compliance assistance activities
In 2004, WHD participated in more than 2,361 outreach events.
Working with Industry/Employer Associations to attract larger audiences and better target our presentations.
Thinking creatively on how to reach the most people (YouthRules! rallies and Boy/Girl Scout jamborees, for example to reach more youth who may be entering the workforce)
Continuously evaluating the effectiveness (through independent evaluations and other feedback mechanisms)

## Availability of Information

** ****Educational Materials**
- Publications
- Translated Materials
** ****Technology**

**Notes:**
Educational Materials:
Publications include (type and number)
Materials in other languages (type and number)

Technology:
WHD’s web sites continue to be some of the most visited in the Department. The home page was the third most visited DOL site in March (195,000 views per month).

## Technology

**Internet**
- _[www.wagehour.dol.gov](http://www.wagehour.dol.gov/)_
- FOH
- Opinion Letters
- _[www.dol.gov](http://www.dol.gov/)_
- _[www.youthrules.dol.gov](http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/)_
**FairPay at **_[www.dol.gov/fairpay](http://www.dol.gov/fairpay)_
**e-laws**

**Notes:**
WHD’s Website continues to be one of those most frequently visited: averaging more than 195,000 views per month.
WHD’s home page - - www.wagehour.dol.gov. Most significant posting this year is the FOH (blue book) and 82 opinion letters since 2001 – 74 FLSA, 6 FMLA and 2 Youth Employment.
WHD is moving towards a separate compliance assistance page that will highlight its partnerships and collaborations
www.wdol.gov (Wage Determinations OnLine) – our e-gov project – was honored as a finalist for one of the 2005 Intergovernmental Solutions Award presented by the American Council for Technology this month.
The YouthRules! site has been an important avenue for communicating the recently revised regulations. A significant recent addition, the construction electronic seminar, provides information for youth interested in working in construction, and employers interesting in hiring these youth.
FairPay site in March had about 78,000 views – the 11th most visited site.
1-866-4US-WAGE toll-free number averages about 45,000 a month – nearly half of the calls received by the Department’s contract center.
Elaws – Fair Pay Advisor, New Section 14(c) Advisor was implemented last month, and WHD revised the Child Labor elaws to include the new rule changes. 

## Technology (Continued)

**Toll-free call centers**
- 1-866-4US-WAGE
**E-mail**

**Notes:**
Since becoming operational in 2000, WHD has continued to enhance toll free help line. The call center currently has 15 Spanish-speaking customer service representatives (CSR) and an interpreter service that supports 150 languages. The call enter receives an average of about 40,000 per month.

WHD’s e-mail response program is channeled through the call center. The average number of e-mail inquiries nearly doubled in FY 2004 from the level in 2003.

## Effectiveness of Compliance Assistance

**Speeches, Seminars and Training**
**Compliance Programs**
- Collaborations and Consultations
- Non-Traditional Partnerships

## Speeches, Seminars & Training

- Overtime Security Seminars
- Employer Forums
- Mexican Consulate Training
- Ohio State University

**Notes:**
During the first half of 2005, WHD completed 1,261 events.
	61% Speeches and Seminars
	52% to Employers and Employer Associations
	23% on the new Overtime Security regulations
	16% in Low-Wage Industries
	10% in Asian, Hispanic or other Ethnic Outreach
Overtime Security Seminars: Since March, 2004, WHD has presented at some 690 events to discuss the “Overtime Security” regulations, including five regional seminars specific to the Overtime Security Task Force FY 2005 initiative.
Employer Forums – WHD has been the catalyst for or participated in four employer forums this year.
Ohio State University : In 2003, WHD formed a partnership with Ohio State University’s Center for Corporate and Community Educational (OSU) to host a series of seminars for employers in various nonurban areas of Ohio.
Mexican Consulate Training: Since the agreement was signed with Mexico in July 2004, WHD has provided training to the majority of Mexican Consulates throughout the U.S.

## Collaborations and Consultations

**REACH** (Rapid Employee Assistance in Chinese Hotline)
**COACH** (Compliance Outreach to the Asian Community and Hispanics)
**Alza Tu Voz**
**H.E.L.P.** (Hispanic Employment Low-Wage Program)
**PIECE** (Protecting Immigrant Employees with Compliance and Education)
**CAWRI** (Chicago Area Workers’ Rights Initiative)

**Notes:**
Through a number of local initiatives, WHD responds to immediate needs of smaller geographical areas.  In FY 2005, several of WHD’s core compliance priorities centered around the growing number of immigrant workers, immigrant businesses and low-wage industries in general.

(See notes for individual initiatives.)

## Non-Traditional Partnerships

**JEWP** (Justice and Equality in the Workplace)
**JSEWP **(Justice, Safety and Equality in the Workplace )
**EMPLEO** (Employment Education Outreach)
**TIGAAR** (The Information Group for Asian American Rights)

**Notes:**
(See notes for individual initiatives.)

EMPLEO – Los Angeles and Las Vegas