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Work
Place Issues |
| Pay & Compensation | Discrimination |
Medical
Leave | On-the-Job Safety | | Lunch & Other Breaks |
Pension |
Workplace
Posters |
As with many consumer
issues, State governments often offer protection and advice to workers in lieu
of or in addition to the Federal Government. If youre unsure which agency
in your State would handle a particular issue, you may call the National
Contact Center toll-free at
1 (800) FED INFO, or you may visit our State and Local Government Section. |
Pay and
Compensation |
Minimum
Wage and Pay for Hours Worked:
The Department of Labors Wage and
Hour Division enforces the Federal
minimum wage. This minimum wage was raised on September
1, 1997, to $5.15 per hour. The Wage and Hour Division can
also assist you if you have not received pay
for hours worked as required under Federal law.
The Department
of Labor provides the elaws
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Advisor to help employees
and employers answer questions on the Federal minimum wage,
overtime, hours worked, child labor, and record keeping requirements.
For further information
from the Department of Labor, please contact the Wage and
Hour toll-free line at 1-866-4-US-WAGE.
Workers' Compensation
Programs:
Most private-sector employees who
have been hurt on the job should contact their State workers compensation
office to inquire about receiving benefits.
Federal employees should contact the Office
of Workers' Compensation Programs or the Federal Employees’
Compensation toll-free line at 1-866-999-3322.
Employees and former
employees of the Department of Energy, its contractors and
subcontractors, or survivors of such individuals who believe
that they may be entitled to compensation under the Energy
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act should
contact the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs or the
Energy Employees Compensation toll-free line at 1-866-888-3322.
Injured workers who may be eligible for
the coal-mine, longshore, or harbor workers' compensation
should also contact the Office
of Workers' Compensation Programs to inquire about possible
benefits.
Unemployment Insurance
Payments and Employment Assistance:
Although some benefits and special
programs (veterans, bonding, etc.) are mandated by the Federal Government,
people who are unemployed or underemployed should contact their closest State
or local employment services office to inquire about possible payments and
other services. |
Discrimination |
Private-sector employees who
have been discriminated against in the workplace or have not
been hired for a job or terminated due to age
, race or
color, religion,
marital status, pregnancy
, disability,
or who have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace
should contact the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for complaint procedures.
In many cases, the EEOC has approved State and local government
agencies to handle their complaints for them. These non-Federal
offices often have significantly smaller backlogs of work
and process complaints more readily. They offer the same protection
under the law as does the EEOC. If you are unsure whether
your local employment office has been approved by the EEOC,
you may check with the EEOC via its toll-free number, 1-800-669-4000
(TTY users, call: 1-800-669-6820), or check
with our National Contact Center by calling toll-free
1 (800) FED INFO.
Employers, reservists,
National Guard members and veterans can visit the elaws
Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Advisor for discrimination related issues in the workplace.
For further information from the Department of Labor, contact
the toll-free information service at 1-866-4-USA-DOL.
Federal employees who encounter discrimination
on the job should contact their own agencys equal employment
opportunity office, often a part of the agencys personnel
office.
Federal contractors
and subcontractors can find additional assistance with coverage
and compliance issues related to Equal Employment Opportunity
laws administered by the Department of Labor’s Office
of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) by using the
elaws OFCCP's
Compliance Assistance Advisor.
For further information from the Department
of Labor, contact the toll-free information service at 1-866-4-USA-DOL.
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Family
Medical Leave Act |
The Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law in 1993
and provides certain employees with the option of taking 12
weeks of unpaid leave from their job due to a family or medical
reason.
The Department
of Labor’s elaws FMLA Advisor can help answer questions
about employee eligibility under the Family and Medical Leave
Act. It covers valid reasons for leave, employee/employer
notification responsibilities, and employee rights and benefits.
For further information
from the Department of Labor, contact the Wage and Hour toll-free
line at 1-866-4-US-WAGE. |
On-the-Job Safety |
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible
for most workplace safety nationwide. Enforcement of OSHA
rules or stricter rules may be handled - depending on the
State - by OSHA, by either OSHA or the State authority, or
by the State authority. The enforcement of some safety rules,
particularly in the mining and transportation industries,
may be handled exclusively by specific Federal authorities.
You may contact your States occupational safety office
or the closest OSHA office to see if your situation is covered
by State or Federal law, as well as how and with which office
to file a complaint about unsafe conditions.
The Department
of Labor’s elaws
Advisors provide assistance with OSHA related issues:
OSHA Confined
Space Advisor; OSHA
Fire Safety Advisor; OSHA
Hazard Awareness Advisor; OSHA
Lead in Construction Advisor; and OSHA
Software Expert Advisors,
which are available to download to your computer.
For more information
on workplace safety and health issues, contact the OSHA toll-free
line at 1-800-321-OSHA. |
Lunch
and Other Breaks |
Some States have provisions
for break times in their labor codes. Unless taking breaks
is a safety issue (e.g., for some transportation workers),
you should contact your States labor office for information
about this subject.
The Department
of Labor’s elaws
FLSA Hours Worked Advisor helps determine which work-related
activities are considered “hours worked” under
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
For further information
from the Department of Labor, contact the Wage and Hour toll-free
line at 1-866-4-US-WAGE. |
Pension
Information |
At least three Federal agencies
have rules regarding pension plans of private companies. An agency other than
the three listed below may handle a specific issue that concerns you. If
youre not sure, feel free to call the Federal Information
Center.
The Department of Labors
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) enforces provisions
mandated under ERISA concerning pension plans. These provisions
refer primarily to the proper administration of the plans,
including reports to participants. The Department of Labor
also provides the elaws Small Business Retirement
Savings
Advisor that reviews available retirement savings
options and identifies which plans may be most appropriate
for your business.
For further information from the Department
of Labor, please contact the PWBA toll-free line at 1-866-275-7922.
The Internal Revenue Service is, in
general, responsible for vesting, participation, and other standards of private
pension plans. Check with their toll-free number, 1-800-829-1040 (TTY: 800-829-4059) for more
information.
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation guarantees
payment of non-forfeitable pension benefits in plans that it
covers. |
Workplace Posters |
Federal laws require several
posters to be displayed in the workplace. As always, State laws may require
additional posters to be displayed in addition to or instead of the posters
mentioned below.
If your computer can read .pdf
files, you can download some of the posters that deal with the minimum wages,
polygraphs, and family leave from the
Wage and Hour
Division.
You may have to request most of the posters
directly from the responsible agencies. Ask for the required
Federal contracts poster at your closest office of the Wage
and Hour Division. Ask for the Equal Employment Opportunity
poster and the Americans with Disabilities Act poster at the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And, ask for
the required safety poster at the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration.
The Department
of Labor provides an elaws Poster Advisor to help determine which
workplace posters you are required to display at your business.
Posters can be downloaded and printed for free directly from
this Advisor. For further information from the Department
of Labor, contact the toll-free information service at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Reviewed:
August 4, 2004
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This service is provided by the Federal Citizen
Information Center of the U.S.
General Services Administration. If you have
a comment or question, e-mail us. |
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