DOL stands for the U.S. Department of Labor, the cabinet-level federal agency that writes and enforces the rules governing wages, workplace safety, employee benefits, and other conditions of employment across the country. It administers more than 180 federal statutes covering roughly 150 million workers, and it houses several agencies most people run into at some point in their working lives, including OSHA, the Wage and Hour Division, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What the Department of Labor Does
The DOL sits in the executive branch and is led by the Secretary of Labor, a member of the President’s cabinet. Lori Chavez-DeRemer was sworn in as the 30th Secretary of Labor on March 11, 2025.1U.S. Department of Labor. Office of the Secretary The Secretary oversees thousands of investigators, economists, and administrators who carry out the department’s core work: setting and enforcing labor standards, collecting economic data, funding job-training programs, and protecting retirement and health benefits.2Cornell Law School / Legal Information Institute. Department of Labor (DOL)
In practice, the DOL is less one agency than a family of them. Each sub-agency handles a slice of federal labor law, and knowing which one covers your issue is usually the first step to getting anywhere.
Agencies Inside the DOL
Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
The WHD enforces federal rules on minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor, and recordkeeping under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It also handles prevailing-wage requirements on federal construction contracts under the Davis-Bacon Act and leave rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.3United States Government Manual. Department of Labor If a paycheck is short or overtime went unpaid, this is usually where a complaint goes.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA sets workplace safety standards, inspects job sites, and investigates hazard complaints. It can fine employers up to $16,550 per serious violation and up to $165,514 per willful or repeated violation.4Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) / U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA Penalties Some states run their own OSHA-approved programs that operate alongside the federal agency.
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
EBSA oversees private-sector retirement plans, health plans, and other employer-sponsored benefits, enforcing the fiduciary standards under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). In fiscal year 2025, EBSA recovered $1.4 billion in direct payments to plans, participants, and beneficiaries.5U.S. Department of Labor. Employee Benefits Security Administration
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
MSHA is the mining-only counterpart to OSHA. It sets mandatory safety standards for mines and inspects them regularly to prevent mine-related deaths, injuries, and illnesses.3United States Government Manual. Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
The BLS is the federal government’s main fact-finding arm for labor economics. It publishes the Consumer Price Index, the national unemployment rate, employment projections, and employer compensation data used by policymakers, businesses, and researchers.6U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Main Laws the DOL Enforces
Fair Labor Standards Act
The FLSA is the source of the federal minimum wage, which has stood at $7.25 per hour since 2009.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 206 – Minimum Wage It also requires covered employers to pay time-and-a-half for every hour worked beyond 40 in a workweek.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 207 – Maximum Hours An employer that violates these rules can owe the unpaid wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 216 – Penalties Back-pay claims generally must be brought within two years, or three if the violation was willful.10eCFR. 5 CFR 551.702 – Time Limits
The FLSA also restricts child labor.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 212 – Child Labor Provisions For 14- and 15-year-olds in non-agricultural jobs, work is capped at 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, with no work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. (extended to 9:00 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day).12U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The OSH Act is the statute behind OSHA. Congress passed it to ensure, as far as possible, that every worker has a workplace free from recognized hazards.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 651 – Congressional Statement of Findings and Declaration of Purpose and Policy It gives the Secretary of Labor authority to set mandatory safety standards and forbids advance notice of inspections.
Family and Medical Leave Act
The FMLA gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for the birth or adoption of a child, a serious personal health condition, or the care of a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC Ch. 28 – Family and Medical Leave When leave ends, the employer must restore the worker to the same job or an equivalent one at the same pay and benefits. To qualify, you must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, logged at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months before leave, and be at a worksite where the employer has 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius. Military families may be eligible for up to 26 weeks to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness.15U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28 – The Family and Medical Leave Act
ERISA
ERISA protects workers in employer-sponsored retirement and health plans. It requires plan managers, called fiduciaries, to act solely in participants’ interests, invest plan assets prudently, diversify to reduce risk of large losses, and avoid conflicts of interest.16U.S. Department of Labor. Fiduciary Responsibilities Fiduciaries who breach these duties can be held personally liable to restore losses to the plan. Congress enacted ERISA because workers with long careers were losing anticipated retirement benefits under inadequate vesting rules and underfunded plans.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 1001 – Congressional Findings and Declaration of Policy
How to Reach the DOL
Which office you contact depends on the problem. For unpaid wages or overtime, the Wage and Hour Division takes complaints online or by phone at 1-866-487-9243. You will need the employer’s name and address, a description of your work, and details on how and when you were paid. The nearest WHD field office contacts you within two business days to decide whether an investigation is warranted, and if one finds sufficient evidence you may receive a check for the lost wages.18Worker.gov. Filing a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
For unsafe conditions, OSHA takes complaints online, by phone at 1-800-321-6742, by fax or mail, or in person at a local office. Include the employer’s name and address and describe the hazard as specifically as you can. You can file anonymously and in any language, although a signed complaint is more likely to trigger an on-site inspection. OSHA generally cannot issue violations for hazards reported more than six months after they occurred.19Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) / U.S. Department of Labor. File a Complaint
Retaliation and Whistleblower Protections
Federal law forbids employers from punishing workers for exercising their workplace rights, including filing a DOL complaint. Retaliation can look like firing, demotion, pay cuts, reduced hours, or a denied promotion. OSHA investigates retaliation claims tied to workplace safety, environmental reporting, consumer product safety, and financial fraud, among other areas. The Wage and Hour Division handles retaliation tied to minimum wage, overtime, and FMLA claims. MSHA covers miners who report hazards or refuse work they reasonably believe is dangerous, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs covers retaliation for discrimination complaints against government contractors.20U.S. Department of Labor. Whistleblower Protections Many whistleblower claims carry short filing deadlines, so file quickly.
Where State Labor Departments Come In
Not every workplace issue is a federal one. Every state runs its own labor department or equivalent agency, and state law often gives workers more than federal law does. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but roughly 30 states and the District of Columbia set higher rates, and where the state rate is higher, that is what the employer must pay.21U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
State agencies also run unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, and they handle most day-to-day wage-theft enforcement. If your question is about a weekly unemployment check, an on-the-job injury claim, or a state minimum wage, your state labor department is the right place to start, not the federal DOL.