US Department of Labor hosts online panel conversation for employers, workers on federal rights, protections for Southeast’s care industries

ATLANTA – Working more than 40 hours a week, a woman providing care to people with disabilities in Augusta thought her employer should be paying her overtime wages. In time, she found the courage to contact the U.S. Department of Labor and soon learned her hunch was worth $11,000 in back wages.

Unfortunately, workers deprived of their full legal wages – either by an employer’s mistake or intention – are all too common, especially in industries like healthcare.

In an effort to educate employers, workers and others in the Southeast’s care industries, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is offering an online panel conversation on Nov. 20 to discuss rights, protections and obligations for workers and employers in the home care and nursing care industries. The event will be presented in coordination with the department’s Women’s Bureau, and will include representatives from OSHA, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the IRS. The conversation coincides with National Home Care and Hospice Month in November.

“Caring for those who care: Compliance tips for the home health and nursing care industries” is part of an ongoing education and enforcement initiative designed to improve compliance among employers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Open to the public, participants will discuss federal protections governing employment of care industry workers, offer compliance tips and share free resources. Attendance is free, but registration is required.

“Our ability to provide care for our nation’s most vulnerable people relies on truly dedicated workers whose concern and expertise demands they be paid all of their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Division Regional Administrator Juan Coria in Atlanta. “Unfortunately, care workers are some of the most vulnerable and underpaid workers in the U.S., which is why the U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring care workers receive all of the wages they have earned.” 

In fiscal year 2024, the Wage and Hour Division concluded nearly 400 investigations in healthcare industries and recovered more than $4.1 million in back wages and liquidated damages for over 2,400 workers in the Southeast. In addition, the division assessed more than $115,000 in civil money penalties to healthcare employers in the Southeast region to address violations found. 

The initiative focuses resources on educating care workers and their communities about their rights to minimum wage and overtime pay and how to file a complaint if they believe their rights have been violated. It also targets the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, a common illegal practice that leads to workers being deprived of legally earned wages and other protections.

“This presentation is just one part of our ongoing work to reduce wage violations and address misclassification of workers as independent contractors in care industries. For those unable to attend, we remind everyone that many compliance resources are just a few clicks away online. These tools are available at no cost to employers and workers. If needed, our staff and outreach professionals are also ready to assist,” Coria added. 

Register for “Caring for those who care: Compliance tips for the home health and nursing care industries.”

While this presentation will not be recorded, the division offers multiple compliance assistance resources to help employers avoid violations. For information about laws enforced by the division, use the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The division will confidentially address questions – regardless of where workers are from – and the division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. 

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division and its searchable workers owed wages database. Help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free, available in English or Spanish.