Employer Problems?

Here at the BBB we often receive calls from an employee (or former employee) who has an issue with their employer (or former employer). The issues usually involve not getting paid or being forced to do something that the caller believes is against labor laws.

The scope of the Better Business Bureau does not include employee/employer relationships since our purpose relates to consumer/business relationships (marketplace relationships). Since many of these issues involve state and federal laws they are beyond the scope of the BBB for that reason as well. So where do you go for issues with an employer?

The answer is the Department of Labor. The United States Department of Labor is a federal agency whose purpose is to enforce federal laws related to employment and employer behavior. There are over 180 of these laws that are enforced by the Department of Labor. These laws cover issues ranging from hiring practices to workplace safety to wage requirements and much more than I could list here.

According to their federal website, their mission statement is:

“To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.”

The U.S. Department of Labor offers live assistance Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm EST by calling 1-866-487-2365 or 1-877-889-5627 for TTY users. You can also find more information at their website.

Just as there are federal and state laws there are also state labor departments to enforce state labor laws. The phone numbers and websites of our tri-state labor departments are listed below.

Indiana Department of Labor-(317) 232-2655