Everything the Ministry of Labor Does
The Department of Labor (DOL) is a critical federal agency that protects workers’ rights, ensures workplace safety, and promotes employment opportunities throughout the United States. Since about 1913, the DOL is the last government agency to now come under scrutiny from the newly created Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE).
On Friday, a federal judge refused to limit DOGE — which is not an official government agency but a task force led by Elon Musk — from accessing DOL systems and sensitive information. Not everyone is happy about this , as they fear that Musk could destroy the agency the same way he did with USAID .
But what does the DOL do? This is worth knowing because the labor department affects everyone who has an employer of any kind.
What does the Ministry of Labor actually do?
The mission of the Department of Labor is “to promote, promote and advance the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; expand lucrative employment opportunities; and guarantee work-related benefits and rights.” The breakdown looks like this:
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Workplace Safety: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the DOL, sets and enforces workplace safety standards. This protects millions of workers from hazardous working conditions in a variety of industries.
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Wage and Hour Protections: The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division ensures workers receive fair compensation by enforcing minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor laws. For example, in 2024, the division recovered more than $273 million in back wages and damages from nearly 152,000 workers nationwide.
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Employment Rights: The Department enforces federal labor laws that prohibit discrimination, protect employee benefits, and ensure fair employment practices. This includes overseeing compliance with minimum wage requirements, overtime compensation, protections against workplace discrimination, and family and medical leave rights.
What laws does the Department of Labor enforce?
Some of the key labor laws enforced by the Department of Labor include:
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Fair Labor Standards Act , which sets standards for private and public sector employment, including wages, overtime pay, and child labor.
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Family and Medical Leave Act , which provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical and family reasons.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Act , which protects workers from unsafe and unhealthy work conditions and is administered by OSHA.
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Workers’ compensation laws, including those affecting shore and port workers ; Department of Energy employees; coal miners ; andfederal employees .
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Provisions of the Affordable Care Act cover employer health insurance.
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Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN Act), which requires employers to provide notice before major layoffs.
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Employee Retirement Income Security Act , which regulates private retirement plans and benefits.
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Provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act applicable to visa programs.
Additional labor laws enforced by the DOL are listed here.
How to contact DOL
To file a complaint about an employer violating your rights, you will usually need to collect personal and work information, including your name and contact information; the company you work or have worked for and its location, contact information, and manager or owner; the work you have done; payment and recording of hours worked.
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File workplace complaints at www.dol.gov.
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For assistance, call 1-866-4-USA-DOL.
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Report wage theft, safety violations or discrimination.
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Look for information about workers’ rights
Bottom line
The DOL’s influence extends to nearly every American worker, protecting basic labor rights and ensuring safe and fair working conditions.