U.S. Department of Labor Blog
Understanding your federal labor rights can be confusing. Answers to workplace questions can be hard to find—and are usually not all in one place. We aim to change that. The U.S. Department of Labor updated and relaunched Worker.gov, a one-stop resource center to help workers understand their rights and access resources across the federal government.
You have rights
The site is rich with information on current worker law and worker rights. You can learn about:
Wage rights
Veteran/service member rights
Equality rights
Organizing rights
Safety rights
Retaliation rights (new)
New to the site is information about your right to form unions and join your coworkers to improve wages and working conditions. We also have new information and resources on worker protections against retaliation when exercising your rights listed above.
Do you have questions?
Perhaps you have a specific workplace problem or issue you want to find answers to. Worker.gov has answers to common worker concerns including:
Not receiving wages on time, not being paid minimum wage or overtime, and more.
Not having a safe or healthy workplace or provided with required personal protective equipment or PPE, and more.
Being discriminated against at your workplace and more.
Unlawfully fired or not hired and more.
Retaliation from your employer on your rights to minimum wage, overtime, a safe and healthy workplace, protections against discrimination, your ability to organize to join a union, your status as a veteran or service member and more.
Take action
Learn how to submit a complaint against your employer or ask for an investigation related to concerns about workplace safety, minimum wage, overtime, and other essential workers' rights.
If you can't find answers to your specific question or do not know where to start, give us a call via our National Contact Center.
All information is translated in Spanish and more languages are coming soon. Please visit Worker.gov and help share these critical resources with your network.
Teresa Acuña is policy advisor for the office of assistant secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Labor.