U S Department of Labor

The Department of Labor, a federal government executive office, fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States. It seeks to improve their working conditions, advance their opportunities for profitable employment, protect their retirement and health care benefits, help employers find workers, strengthen free collective bargaining and track changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the DOL has eight major specialized divisions: the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the Employment and Training Administration, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the Employment Standards Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service. The law creating the U.S. Department of Labor was signed by President William H. Taft in 1913.