The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is responsible for administering and enforcing some of our nation’s most comprehensive labor laws, including: the minimum wage, overtime, and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA); worker protections provided in several temporary visa programs; and the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) and the Service Contract Act (SCA).

May 30, 2006
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has launched a new web-based Back Wage Employee Locator to provide easy and secure access for employees to find and collect back wages due them. Employees who have not been located by the department during the normal back wage disbursement process will be able to use this on-line system to determine whether they are owed back wages as a result of a WHD investigation. Press Release

January 31, 2006
Wage and Hour Collects $166 Million in Back Wages for over 241,000 Employees in Fiscal Year 2005
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recovered more than $166 million in back wages for over 241,000 employees in fiscal year 2005. Back wage collections this past year represent a 26 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal year 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 11 percent since fiscal year 2001.

November 17, 2005
The U.S. Department of Labor issued All Agency Memorandum 200 that provides guidance on the reinstatement of the Davis-Bacon Act in the areas seriously affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.  In addition, the Department has issued a fact sheet that provides Guidance on the Reinstatement of the Davis-Bacon Act in Areas Impacted by Hurricane Katrina.