6/14/2023
The
DOL or U.S. Department of Labor is a government agency dedicated to promoting the welfare of workers, disseminating good labor practices and ensuring compliance with employment law.
If you need to contact this department for any procedure or consultation, here is its citizen service phone number, as well as other ways to receive attention.
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What is the Department of Labor's telephone number?
To get in touch with the U.S. Department of Labor's citizen service, you must dial 866-487-2365. If you want to be attended in Spanish language, you should press 2 on your device.
This service is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Other Labor Department phone numbers
In addition to the phone number for general inquiries, this institution also puts at your disposal a series of specific numbers for different administrations, programs and inquiries. Here are some of them:
You can also consult the specific telephone number to call depending on the issue you want to discuss in this list provided by the department itself.
Other ways of contacting the DOL
In addition to telephone, the U.S. Department of Labor offers other alternatives for contacting its customer service or its various agencies and administrations. Here are some possibilities:
What is the U.S. Department of Labor?
The Department of Labor is a government agency whose purpose is to improve working conditions and promote a healthy environment for the country's employees.
Among its main functions, we can highlight the following:
- Create employment opportunities
- Helping people get jobs
- Encourage the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements
- Keeping relevant statistics that have an impact on the economy
- Protecting benefits related to health care and retirement.
In addition to the above, the U.S. Department of Labor has under its umbrella several very important institutions that we will see below. These include the Consumer Price Index and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is responsible for collecting and publishing labor-related data.
Laws under the DOL
This federal agency is also tasked with enforcing 180 labor laws. These statutes include topics such as veterans' rights, labor unions, employee benefits, workplace safety and health, and temporary leave.
These regulations protect at least 150 million employees in 10 million businesses.
An important example of these laws is the Fair Labor Standards Act, designed to promote minimum wage standards and which stipulates that overtime hours are paid at 1.5/2 times the normal rate. In addition, it limits the hours that someone under 16 can work and restricts hazardous work for those under 18.
DOL Background
This government agency was created in 1913 by former President William Taft. The law that shaped the DOL states that its purpose was to develop and promote the welfare of working people. When it was issued, this agency included 4 bureaus: the BLS, the Bureau of Immigration, the Children's Bureau and the Bureau of Naturalization.
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In 1916, Congress passed the Adamson Act, the first federal law that had an impact on the hiring terms used by private companies. This legislation also included the 8-hour workday for railroad workers, and since then the DOL has had control over various aspects of labor.
The first Secretary of Labor was Congressman William B. Wilson, who served until 1921. Also, the first woman in this position was chosen by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was Frances Perkins and joined the agency in 1933.
Labor Department's Associated Agencies
There are other entities that are overseen by the Labor Department that are of great importance to fulfill the objectives of this agency.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
This is a division of the Department of Labor that operates under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Among OSHA's functions, we can highlight:
- Create procedures for reporting and enforcement.
- Initiating investigations in the field of occupational safety and health.
- Establish mandatory occupational safety and health standards.
- Reduce hazards that may affect the safety and well-being of employees.
- Maintain training programs to increase the competence and number of personnel in this area.
EBSA (Employee Benefits Security Administration)
This institution was created in 2003 with the purpose of administering everything related to Title I of ERISA of 1974. This division of the Department of Labor was known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, whose program began in 1959.
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Its purpose is to assist and educate employees, pensioners and their families about retirement and welfare plans. It seeks to ensure that people understand their rights as stipulated by law and that they claim what belongs to them. That is why it offers personal assistance online, in person or in writing.
ILAB (International Labor Relations Bureau)
This government office came into existence in 1974, under the presidency of Harry Truman. The ILAB exists to promote a level playing field for American and international workers. As such, it is dedicated to enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating child labor and other forms of exploitation.
Español: Número de teléfono del Departamento de Trabajo en español