As previously discussed here, President Obama’s choice for administrator of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is deputy assistant attorney general and chief of staff of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Leon Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez was nominated on December 12, 2010, but Congress failed to act on his nomination prior to adjournment of its previous session. His nomination has now been resubmitted.
In addition to the FLSA, the Wage and Hour Division is responsible for enforcement of other federal statutes relating to wage-and-hour issues, including the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, which creates special wage protections for migrant workers, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. We will report further developments regarding Mr. Rodriguez’s nomination. Mr. Rodriguez is expected to continue the Division’s aggressive enforcement programs.