By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the US Department of Labour’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) have announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance and maximize the enforcement of federal laws and regulations.
The MOU formalizes and increases coordination between the agencies through information sharing, joint investigations, training, and outreach. The document outlines procedures to be followed by both the EEOC and WHD as they together elevate workplace justice issues of mutual interest across the country.
“The EEOC is pleased to expand our integral partnership with the Wage and Hour Division to better serve America’s workers,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “This collaboration will further effective outreach and enforcement with respect to the federal laws that advance equal employment opportunity and fair pay, including the recently enacted PUMP Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.”
“Our partnership with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission helps us work across federal agencies to ensure workers are treated fairly, paid fairly and do not have to fear retaliation when demanding the workplace protections that federal labor laws such as the PUMP Act require,” said Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman.
In Dec. 2022, President Biden signed the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into law on the same day. Enforced by WHD and the EEOC, respectively, the agencies combined on several national and regional events in engaging with employers and the public to raise awareness of the laws and will partner on future engagements as part of the new agreement.
Wage and Hour Division enforces minimum wage, overtime, child labour and workplace protections for nursing parents as well as other federal labor laws. Learn more about the PUMP Act and Wage and Hour Division.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
