There’s a New Secretary of Labor in Town

By Mickey Matran / August 9, 2013 / Uncategorized No Comments

After three months of deliberation, President Obama’s nominee, Thomas E. Perez, has become the new Secretary of Labor for the United States Department of Labor to replace former Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis.  Solis notified President Obama of her resignation in January earlier this year.  On March 18th, Thomas Perez was nominated by the president and confirmed on July 18, 2013.

Solis’ asserted in an interview that her reason for leaving is not because of the recently released agenda for increased measures for regulatory enforcement, but is due to her desire to spend more time with her family.  Solis states that she is proud of her accomplishments while serving as Secretary of Labor which include yielding 5.8 million private sector jobs, securing $280 million dollars in owed wages to 300,000 workers, and promoting public awareness for the rights of workers, to mention a few.

Perez has served in many local, state, and national positions as a public servant and has dedicated his career to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly.  Perez has held the position of Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, where he worked to fight for jobs with better wages and benefits, protect veterans returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, and economic growth. As Secretary of Labor, Perez will oversee the country’s labor laws and employment benefits as well as the collection of jobs data. “At the Department of Labor, Tom will help us continue to grow our economy, help businesses create jobs, make sure workers have the skills those jobs require, and ensure safe workplaces and economic opportunity for all,” President Obama said.    As was for former Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, is for new Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez, the top priority of protecting the rights of the American worker.

With a regulatory agenda for tighter enforcement and the staff to implement, it is advisable to employers to review positions, job descriptions, wage and salary information, payroll policies, overtime calculations, and exempt and independent classifications.  In his first blog as the new Secretary of Labor, Perez committed to “…a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work; more opportunity for workers and employers to compete on a level playing field (EPA and FLSA); more opportunity for our veterans to thrive in the civilian economy [USERRA]; more opportunity for people with disabilities to contribute productive to the workforce [ADAA and FMLA]; more opportunity to retire with dignity and peace of mind [ADEA, ERISA, and COBRA]; and more opportunity for people to work in a safe environment [OSHA] and with the full protection of our anti-discrimination laws [Title VII/EEO].”

In other words, your business should be operating in a confident manner without any anxiety or uncertainty of passing an audit by the Department of Labor.  If there is something inside you that questions whether this is the case, then reach out to us.  We will be glad to help!

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