Tag Archives: u.s. department of labor

More American workers have been suing their employers under federal and state wage-and-hour laws, USA Today reported on April 15, 2012. The 7,006 wage-and-hour lawsuits filed in federal court last year were nearly four times the 2000 total, and many of those were class action lawsuits. According to USA Today, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has added 300 wage-and-hour investigators over the past two years, increasing its staff by 40 percent to 1,050. Nancy Leppink, deputy administrator of the wage-and-hour division, told USA Today that the DOL “has stepped up its efforts to protect workers,” particularly “in high-risk industries that employ low-wage and vulnerable workers,” such as hotels and restaurants. The article noted that workers had to put in more than 40 hours a week without overtime pay through various practices, such as: Being forced to work off the clock. Having jobs misclassified as exempt from overtime requirements. Smartphones…
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