On September 13, 2023, the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together to enforce federal laws and regulations that advance equal employment opportunity and fair pay. The MOU outlines procedures for the agencies to increase their coordination in information sharing, joint investigations, trainings, and outreach efforts.

I. Information Sharing

The MOU allows the agencies to consolidate and share information on issues ranging from equal pay to anti-bias laws. The WHD and EEOC may share any information or data obtained during an investigation that support the agencies’ enforcement activities to the extent permitted by law. The information that may be shared includes complaint referrals and other information in complaint or investigative files relating to violations of laws enforced by the WED and EEOC, reports that are filed or produced by employers such as EEO-1 Reports or FLSA records, and statistical analyses or summaries.

Information sharing under the MOU will comply with applicable laws including the Privacy Act of 1974, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Federal Records Act.

II. Coordinated Investigations and Enforcement

During an investigation, if WHD or EEOC personnel believe that there was conduct that occurred that the other agency deems unlawful, the investigating agency will advise the filing party or potential complainant that they can file a charge or complaint with the other agency.

Where appropriate, the WHD and EEOC will conduct coordinated investigations of matters that arise within both agencies’ jurisdictions.

Where the WHD finds a violation and the EEOC finds reasonable cause, the agencies will also decide whether one agency should hold a matter in abeyance to consider which statute would be most feasible to proceed under.

III. Training and Outreach

As part of the MOU’s launch, the WHD and EEOC are collaborating on outreach and enforcement efforts for the recently enacted PUMP Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Acts (PWFA) of 2022.

The PUMP Act expanded access to protections for nursing workers who are entitled to a reasonable break time to pump breast milk and a private space other than a bathroom to do so. The WHD oversees the rest break provisions of the PUMP Act.

The PWFA, which is administered and enforced by the EEOC, requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship.

The agencies have worked together on national and regional events to raise public awareness of these laws, including jointly hosting a year-long series of free webinars to ensure that advocates, health care providers, and employers understand the workplace rights of new and expectant mothers. The agencies will continue to partner on additional engagements and events in the future to engage with employers and raise awareness about other federal laws.

The MOU also permits WHD and EEOC staff to train each other in identifying cases and prompting additional investigations under each other’s jurisdiction. The agencies will also develop joint policy statements and technical assistance documents as needed.

Back to Wage and Hour Defense Blog Blog

Search This Blog

Blog Editors

Related Services

Topics

Archives

Jump to Page

Subscribe

Sign up to receive an email notification when new Wage and Hour Defense Blog posts are published:

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.