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The Department of Labor's Enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act

HRD-85-77 Published: Sep 30, 1985. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 1985.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reported on: (1) actions taken by Congress and the Department of Labor in response to recommendations in a previous GAO report on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); and (2) the cumulative effect of staff reductions and changes in resource utilization among Labor's FLSA compliance officers.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the Solicitor of Labor to monitor the regional solicitors to determine whether they are seeking liquidated damages in all appropriate cases.
Closed – Implemented
In 1986, Labor's regional solicitors initiated greater use of liquidated damages, a provision of FLSA. The Deputy Solicitor is monitoring the regional solicitors' use of the provision.

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Topics

Damages (legal)Staff utilizationLabor lawLaw enforcementMinimum wage ratesOvertime compensationPayroll recordsProposed legislationLabor standardsPerformance measures