Wage and Hour Statistics

The Department of Labor of the United States is the agency responsible for overseeing every legal aspect of every worker in the country.  When workers have complaints about unpaid overtime, unpaid meal breaks, working off the clock, or any other aspect of overtime pay laws, they contact an experienced Fair Labor Standards Act attorney that can help them navigate through the complicated and confusing bureaucracy of the Department of Labor.

The Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division is agency in charge of enforcing and recovering lost wages due to unpaid overtime.  The past several years have seen a record increase in both the number of cases reported to the WHD as well as the amounts recovered from liable businesses.  In fact, the WHD recovered more than $212 million in back wages in 2003, and assessed guilty employers almost $10 million in civil penalties.

The WHD also investigates overtime pay violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Statistics collected for 2002 speak for themselves:

• Concluded Cases: 33,154
• FLSA cases with monetary violations: 23,111
• Back wages collected from FLSA cases: $142,979,826
• Employees receiving back wages: 241,568

In 2003, over 80,000 workers in low-wage industries received $39 million in back wages. Low-wage industries include agriculture, day care, restaurants, garment manufacturing, guard services, health care, hotels and motels, janitorial services, and temporary help. Restaurant cases were responsible for nearly $10 million of the $39 million awarded. 

The wage and hour statistics break down as follows:

• 2003
• Concluded Cases: 32,591
• FLSA cases with monetary violations: 22,641
• Back wages collected from FLSA cases: $182,119,413
• Employees receiving back wages: 314,660

• Over 80,000 low-wage workers received $39,000,000
• Agriculture: 7,952 employees received $2,520,268
• Day Care: 3,014 employees received $894,298
• Restaurants: 22,247 employees received $9,969,491
• Garment Making: 5,094 employees received $5,021,175
• Guard Services: 12,637 employees received $7,532,142
• Health Care: 16,139 employees received $8,048,353
• Hotels/Motels: 4,497 employees received $2,061,591
• Janitorial/Custodial Services: 3884 employees received $2,353,592
• Temporary help: 5,308 employees received $1,194,471

Every year thousands of employees fall victim to FLSA violations perpetrated by their employers. If your hard work has been taken advantage of do not hesitate to discuss your experiences with an understanding attorney. A reputable lawyer can help you fight for justice and the compensation you deserve.  Contact us today.