US Department of Labor recovers more than $1B in wages, damages for 615,000 workers under Biden-Harris administration

WASHINGTON –The Biden-Harris administration today announced that the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages for our nation’s workers since the start of the Biden-Harris administration. The recoveries derive from investigations concluded by the division from Jan. 20, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2024.

“As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to protect and defend America’s working people, the Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages—achieving both justice and economic relief for more than 615,000 workers,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, this department has been focused on protecting those workers who need us most—the hotel cleaners, home care aides, meatpackers and hundreds of thousands more. And by ensuring that employers who violate the law are held to account, we are deterring businesses from exploiting workers in the future. I am so proud to say that we are putting money back in workers’ pockets and signaling to bad actors that they won’t get away with wage theft and illegal child labor on our watch.”

The division enforces some of the nation’s most foundational labor laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act that requires payment of a federal minimum wage and overtime wages, as well as laws that require prevailing wages for federally funded and assisted contracts. The agency prioritizes helping workers in low-wage, high-violation industries, including healthcare, agriculture, construction and many others.

Joely Maniscalco is one of many workers who the division has helped get back their hard-earned wages. A home health aide in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, she works to care for people in their homes by providing assistance with bathing, eating and other activities of daily living. In 2024, the Wage and Hour Division found that Maniscalco had been the victim of wage theft from two different employers and recovered more than $1,000 in back wages for her. “I am grateful to the Wage and Hour Division. They helped me understand my rights as a home care worker,” she said. Maniscalco was facing eviction and was able to use the back wages to secure a new apartment. 

Housekeeper Demetria Jones is another worker who sought the division’s help after Jones was not paid for all the hours she worked at a motel in Florida, and she struggled to provide for her family. Jones bravely stood up for her rights and contacted the Wage and Hour Division. “I worked hard for my money, and everyone deserves to be paid properly,” she said. As a result of the investigation, Jones received more than $2,000 in minimum wage and overtime compensation. 

“We are dedicated to protecting and enhancing the welfare of the nation’s workforce with a focus on underserved and often vulnerable workers,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “The money we recover from employers helps workers pay for housing, childcare and other necessities. While we are proud to have recovered $1 billion in workers’ owed wages and damages, we remain concerned by the wage theft we have uncovered and the harm it causes for hard-working people across the nation. We will continue to use all our tools to protect workers across the country.”

In addition to its enforcement efforts, the division provides outreach and education to employers, workers and other stakeholders to raise awareness of workers’ rights and prevent violations of federal labor standards. To assist employers, the division offers many compliance assistance resources to ensure lawful employment practices.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division and how to file a complaint. For confidential compliance assistance, workers and employers can call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from. The division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages.

Download the division’s Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – available in English and Spanish – to ensure hours and pay are accurate.