US Department Of Labor Develops App That Keeps Track Of Workers’ Wages

The Department of Labor in US has created an app called the DOL-Timesheet with the primary objective of empowering the working class. This smartphone software will allow the users to calculate regular work hours, break time and overtime pay to create their own wage records. So any worker who is not so sure of his boss’ honesty can check for himself whether he is given enough salary or not. The app will help the consumers to understand the wage structure better so that they can fight for their rights if they are not given proper remuneration for their hard work. It will also provide reliable evidence in case of government enquiry or police investigations. The DOL-Timesheet is one of the many initiatives taken by the Obama administration for strict enforcement of the wage and hour laws. The government has also hired about 300 attorneys and investigators to look into this matter and to solve such cases. However, this app is a better measure as it prevents the occurrence of such incidents.

A record number of cases were filed last year by the aggrieved workers and #-Link-Snipped-#labors. Almost 6800 such cases were reported last year which exceeds the 2009 case files by about 200. Now, with the advent of this mobile app the number of cases is expected to go down substantially. The Wage and Hour Division of the DOL receives about 35,000 phone calls per annum but it doesn’t have so many resources to provide service to all the callers. So the users are redirected to a hot line which refers them to attorneys and prosecutors specialized in these kinds of disputes. This has enraged a few capitalists and businessmen. They believe that such programs are bound to increase the number of wage related cases.

Wage theft is a common problem amongst immigrant workers who are not fluent in English or those who do not protest fearing deportation. A few months ago, for example, the department recovered $1.8 million in back wages for 400 workers at the Hong Kong Market grocery chain in Houston. It was found that some of the labors had worked for about70 hours a week but were still underpaid and denied any type of extra income for excess hours of labor put in by them. The company even tried to misguide the investigators by showing them fake payroll records.

The DOL-Timesheet will be a very good and trustworthy option for the low wage immigrant workers who can’t afford a computer but usually carry a cell phone. This app is presently available for only the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the organization is trying to develop versions for use on other devices, such as Blackberry and Android phones.

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