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🗞️ Clock In: The Labor Department Opens Its Compliance Playbook to the Public

The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a free online forum May 6-7, 2026, offering employers and workers practical guidance on federal wage, safety, and workplace compliance laws.

onthelaborfront

onthelaborfront

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🗞️ Clock In: The Labor Department Opens Its Compliance Playbook to the Public

The U.S. Department of Labor will open its doors, virtually, to employers, workers, and other stakeholders next week when it hosts a free two-day compliance forum titled Protecting America's Workforce. The event, scheduled for May 6 and 7, is designed to give businesses and workers a clearer picture of their rights and obligations under a broad range of federal workplace laws.

Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling will deliver opening remarks before giving way to panel discussions featuring senior officials from the department's five principal enforcement arms: the Wage and Hour Division, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service. Enforcement and compliance representatives from the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are also expected to participate.

The agenda covers a range of issues with broad reach across American workplaces, including heat illness prevention, child labor law compliance, government contract prevailing wage requirements, Registered Apprenticeships, and veterans' employment rights. The department's self-audit programs will also be featured.

One session likely to draw particular interest involves the Labor Department's opinion letters program, a compliance tool with a long and politically checkered history. The practice of issuing formal written guidance on how federal labor laws apply to specific workplace situations dates to 1938 but has cycled in and out of use depending on the administration in power. The Obama administration suspended the program in 2010 in favor of broader policy interpretations. The first Trump administration revived it, the Biden administration scaled it back, and the current Trump administration formally expanded it in June 2025 to span all five of the department's major enforcement agencies. In January 2026, the Wage and Hour Division issued six new opinion letters addressing questions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers who act in good faith reliance on the letters may use them as a potential defense against liability under federal law.

The forum is free and open to the public. Registration is required through Eventbrite; session links and logistics are provided upon sign-up.

Key Points

  • The Protecting America's Workforce virtual forum runs May 6-7, 2026 and is free to attend with prior registration.
  • Five DOL enforcement agencies will present alongside officials from the IRS, SBA, and EEOC.
  • Topics span wage and hour compliance, heat illness prevention, child labor laws, prevailing wage requirements, and Registered Apprenticeships.
  • The DOL's opinion letters program, most recently expanded in June 2025, will be featured. The program has fluctuated in activity across administrations and now spans five agencies, providing written guidance employers may cite in good-faith compliance defenses.
  • The Wage and Hour Division issued six new opinion letters in January 2026 clarifying FLSA and FMLA applications in specific workplace situations.
  • The forum is part of a broader DOL compliance assistance effort encompassing self-audit programs and expanded written guidance across multiple agencies.
  • Registration is required; session access details are distributed after sign-up.

Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Primary Source: U.S. Department of Labor News Release: US Department of Labor to host online forum May 6-7 for employers, workers, other stakeholders on compliance with federal workplace laws

Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260428

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