Warehouse and Logistics Industries Targeted for DOL Enforcement

Author: Robert S. Teachout, XpertHR Legal Editor

February 11, 2022

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has announced an initiative to ensure warehouse and logistic workers' wages and workplace rights are protected. The initiative is in response to increased pressures on the economic supply chain, which has resulted in a strain on the warehouse and logistics industry, including delivery drivers, truck drivers and others.

The DOL will use education, outreach and robust enforcement to increase compliance and reduce industry violations. The initiative is designed to help ensure that workers in these industries are:

  • Paid all their legally earned wages (both minimum wages and overtime);
  • Safe from workplace harassment and retaliation for claiming their legal rights; and
  • Not prevented from taking Family and Medical Leave Act time off from work.

DOL will also identify key stakeholders, such as worker advocacy groups, employers and employer organizations, to improve the initiative's effectiveness.

Acting Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman noted the vital role warehouse employees, delivery drivers, truck drivers and other workers in the warehousing and logistics industries played in supporting businesses and the economy during the pandemic.

"These essential workers ensure medical supplies, construction materials, food and clothing, and many other necessities of daily life arrive where they are needed," said Looman, promising that the WHD will use all its tools to ensure employers comply with federal labor laws and pay workers their full wages.

The DOL also has recently joined with other federal agencies to increase enforcement of federal law. In November, the agency announced a joint effort with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board to fight retaliation against employees who exercise their rights under federal labor laws.