DoL Releases Two Labor Law Resources

>The two labor law resources are part of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s new Compliance Assistance Initiative, which will be headed up by Barbara Bingham.   Paramount to the new initiative is a shift in focus to make laws as easily understandable to the public as possible, and to make department staff and resources more accessible.

>FirstStep Employment Law Advisor, is the online program and represents the latest chapter in a series of Labor Department “E-Law Advisors.”    These advisors are Web-based resources designed to mimick an employer’s interaction with a Labor Department representative. The FirstStep Employment Law Advisor helps employers determine which laws administered by the department apply to their business or organization, and provides access to information on how to comply with the law’s requirements.

>Also being introduced is the Employment Labor Law Guide. This publication is a 102-page magazine-style publication being offered free to the public.   Contained within its pages is information on the department’s main laws and regulations for employers needing introductory information on wages, benefits, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies for their businesses.

The DOL advisers can be accessed from http://www.dol.gov/elaws . The book, Employment Law Guide: Laws, Regulations & Technical Assistance Services, is available free by calling DOL’s toll-free information line: 866-4-USA-DOL or online at http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/guide.htm .