US Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division to offer free compliance seminar in West Virginia on Sept. 8

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will offer a comprehensive compliance seminar for employers, representatives of community rehabilitation programs, family members and guardians of workers with disabilities and other stakeholders on rules governing the payment of workers with disabilities under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

The seminar will be held Sept. 8, 2016, in Morgantown, West Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT at Morgantown City Hall, Council Chambers, 389 Spruce St. Registration begins at 8 a.m., EDT. The event is free and open to the public. 

“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that all of our stakeholders – employers, community rehabilitation programs, advocates, workers and other interested parties – fully understand the rules that apply to employing workers with disabilities at subminimum wages,” said Wage and Hour Division Hour Division Deputy Administrator Laura Fortman. “We are pleased to provide this free seminar and to offer this training. It is a key component of the department’s ongoing effort to increase awareness and enhance compliance of this program to prevent the curtailment of opportunities for employment of individuals with disabilities.”

The division enforces all requirements to protect both workers and employers, and in providing assistance to enable employers to proactively achieve compliance with Section 14(c) of the FLSA. Training will cover topics including the certification process, performing prevailing wage surveys, and conducting time studies. The department’s Section 14(c) on-line calculators that determine commensurate wage rates for employees will also be demonstrated.

Participants will learn about common compliance problems for Section 14(c) certificate holders, such as calculating commensurate wages and accurately tracking hours worked, and how to avoid them. The seminar will also address the impact of Executive Order 13658, which establishes a minimum wage for certain federal contractors, as well as the provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that will directly affect an employer’s ability to pay workers a subminimum wage.

Attendance is free, but space is limited. The division asks those interested to register online in advance by visiting at http://www.dol.gov/whd/specialemployment/FreeSeminar_Section14c.htm. An email will be sent to confirm registration. Members of the public with questions about the conference should call 603-606-3118 or email Reed.Kendra@dol.gov

For more information on Section 14(c) of the FLSA and other federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the department’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or visit the agency’s website at http://dol.gov/whd/.