Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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MIAMI -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is offering a free seminar for Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-area restaurant managers and employers to help them understand their obligations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The three-hour seminar will cover a range of topics including rules regarding the federal minimum wage, tips and overtime payments.

The meeting will be held at the Broward County Main Library Auditorium, 100 South Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, on Friday, June 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT. It will be conducted in English and Mandarin Chinese, and publications in English and Chinese will be available to participants at no cost. All interested industry representatives are invited to attend.

Individuals with questions related to the seminar should contact Will Garnitz, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s South Florida District Office, at 305-271-4490, ext. 11.

Effective July 24, 2007, the federal minimum wage for covered, nonexempt employees increased to $5.85 per hour. The minimum wage will increase to $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008, and to $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.

The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division administers the FLSA, which sets minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and youth employment standards. The agency concluded 30,467 compliance actions and recovered a record $220 million in back wages for more than 341,000 employees in fiscal year 2007. Back-wage collections in fiscal year 2007 represent a 67 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 58 percent since fiscal year 2001.

To obtain information about the laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243); visit the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov or contact the division’s Miami District Office, 10300 Sunset Drive (Sunset Center), Room 255; phone: 305-596-9874.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.