Protecting Workers' Rights
The Wage and Hour Division is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the welfare of the nation’s workforce with a focus on low-wage, underserved workers. In fiscal year 2023, we successfully recovered over $274 million in back wages and damages for more than 163,000 workers nationwide.
Child Labor Enforcement: Keeping Young Workers Safe
Prioritizing the safety of children at work has always been our top priority. In FY 2023, we concluded 955 investigations, identifying child labor violations affecting nearly 5,800 children. Penalties assessed for these violations exceeded $8 million.
Back Wages by Industry
We work hard to ensure working people in the U.S. receive the wages and protections they've earned and that their work is respected.
Jeannie’s Courage to Stand Up for Her Rights Paid Off
Jeannie, a home care worker in New Hampshire and Vermont, faced retaliation after receiving back wages from a WHD investigation. But after she received those hard-earned wages, her employer allegedly asked her to return the money, also known as a kickback. In all, we have recovered more than $1 million for care workers at the same company from 2018 to 2023.
Working for You
Outreach and Webinars
Our outreach initiatives addressed emerging concerns, delivering compliance assistance and workers' rights information. In the past year, we conducted 4,500 events, engaging over 450,000 individuals.
Answering Your Call
Our work is fueled by our employees’ shared passion to serve you. For assistance or reporting violations, call 1-866-4-US-WAGE. In FY 2023, we received more than 988,000 calls, providing support in over 200 languages.
A Few Brave Construction Workers Spoke Up. Now Hundreds Get $3.6 Million in Back Pay.
Workers at a painting and roofing company in Arizona and Nevada, including Cristian, spoke out against unjust conditions like low pay, lack of overtime and intimidation. Despite attempts to silence them, courageous employees, including Cristian, spoke out.
Upholding FMLA Rights: A Triumph Over Unlawful Job Loss
When Tracy's son, Jerron, lost his job during his protected medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), we stepped in to help. Our investigators found violations and secured over $12,000 in back wages, $5,000 in medical expenses, and reinstated Jerron's job.
Workers Owed Wages
In FY 2023, we disbursed over $26.9 million through the WOW system, benefiting more than 3,972 workers. Check if you are owed unpaid wages.
When we find violations, our focus is on recovering unpaid wages for employees. In cases where we are unable to locate an employee, we securely hold their back wages for a three-year period, persistently working to find them. If, after three years, our efforts prove unsuccessful, we are obligated to transfer the funds to the U.S. Treasury.
In the past two years, our directed enforcement efforts resulted in a remarkable $172 million in back wages for over 135,000 workers. The recovery averaged $1,273 per worker in agency-initiated investigations, marking the highest annual average since at least 2009.
Our targeted investigations focus on some of America’s most vulnerable workers in industries such as agriculture, construction, food services, healthcare, retail, and others.
Learn more about back wages found for workers in low-wage industries
What Does $1,273 Mean
$1,273 represents multiple weekly paychecks to typical workers in many industries*
(*based upon BLS data for median wage rates and weekly hours per occupation)
5+ Weeks of Groceries
3+ Months of Utilities
1+ Month of Rent
7+ Weeks of Childcare
(*based upon BLS data for median wage rates and weekly hours per occupation)
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