THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is charged with helping every American learn the skills he or she needs to hold a good job, moving people from welfare to work, securing and protecting retirement and pension programs, and guaranteeing a safe, equal-opportunity workplace.

            Rules and regulations that the DOL enforces affect well over 100 million workers and 10 million employers.

            The DOL is involved in many areas, including overseeing massive layoffs and plant closings, monitoring labor statistics, establishing occupational safety standards, and implementing other protective measures.  For instance, the DOL oversees the Fair Labor Standards Act, which establishes a minimum wage.  Overtime work is also controlled by the DOL.  The DOL works with miners to help prevent black lung disease and ensure mine safety.  As you can probably guess, the DOL Web site is a good place to start searching for information concerning your rights as an employee.

            One of the most important divisions of the DOL is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which compiles and interprets statistics about the nation’s workers.