PHILADELPHIA – By one industry study’s account, more than 290 million cars, trucks, SUVs and vans will be roaming America’s roads in 2022, making the people who maintain and repair these vehicles essential to the nation’s economic stability and growth. Yet, after hundreds of investigations in the auto repair industry in fiscal year 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor has found employers shortchanged thousands of these workers nationwide.
Specifically, the department’s Wage and Hour Division carried out 546 investigations in fiscal year 2021, which recovered more than $4.3 million for 3,564 workers, up from fiscal year 2020 when 442 investigations led to the recovery of $2.9 million for 2,465 workers.
To help protect workers’ rights to their legally earned wages and assist employers in avoiding compliance issues, the division has scheduled a webinar for the industry’s employers, workers, and associations nationwide on Jan. 13, 2022, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. EST.
Part of the division’s “Essential Workers – Essential Protections” initiative, the nationwide virtual event will review worker protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Representatives from the division’s New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia district offices will lead presentations to educate employers and workers, and assist employers with compliance concerns.
“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to protecting the rights of all workers,” said Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Mark Watson in Philadelphia. “As we continue our pandemic recovery, we must ensure the essential workers who keep us on the road are paid as the law requires in return for the hard work they do. We encourage workers, employers and other stakeholders to attend this event to learn more about federal wage and hour standards.”
Participation is free, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Learn more about low-wage workers, and the division’s investigations in the industries in which they work.
The Wage and Hour Division offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as an Auto Repair and Maintenance Industry Compliance Assistance Toolkit, online videos and confidential calls to their local offices.
Learn more about the FLSA. Contact the division toll-free at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) for more information. Regardless of immigration status, workers can call the division confidentially with questions and the department can speak to callers in more than 200 languages.
