The U.S. Department of Labor and New Hampshire Department of Labor have signed an agreement to protect workers’ rights by focusing on the misclassification of employees. Under this agreement, both government agencies will share information to ensure law compliance, and if necessary, coordinate law enforcement. The direct communication aims to prevent and restore the rights of employees that have been misclassified and kept from receiving earned wages, benefits and workplace protections. This agreement comes as a result of the 2011 U.S. Department of Labor’s Misclassification Initiative, which allowed agencies to work together to help reduce the tax gap and help improve federal labor laws compliance.
Other states that have joined the Misclassification Initiative include Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Utah, and Washington. To learn more about employee misclassification, make sure to visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/misclassification/.